Ire
/aɪər/noun
Intense anger or wrath.
Did you know?The Latin ancestor ira became a standard term for wrath in Christian moral writing, where uncontrolled anger was treated as one of humanity’s most spiritually dangerous passions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁eis-
“To be passionate, agitated, or angry; the reconstructed root behind later words for fury and frenzy.”
Proto-Italic
Proto-Italic
*īsa
“Anger or wrath; the proposed Italic ancestor of Latin ira.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
īra
“Anger, rage, or wrath.”
12th Century
Old French
ire
“Wrath, anger; borrowed from Latin through medieval French.”
14th Century
Middle English
ire
“Anger or wrath, often used in religious and literary contexts.”
Modern English
English
ire
“Intense anger, especially in formal or literary usage.”