Luridness
/ˈlʊr.ɪd.nəs/noun
The quality of being glaringly vivid, shocking, or sensational.
Did you know?Luridness comes from Latin *luridus*, meaning “pale yellow, ghastly, or corpse-like,” a color-word once tied to fear and death rather than drama.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leu̯-
“to be pale, bright, or yellowish”
Latin
Latin
luridus
“pale yellow; ghastly; lurid”
Late Latin
Latin
luriditas
“paleness; ghastliness”
Middle English
English
lurid
“pale, ghastly, or dismal”
19th Century
English
luridness
“the quality of being sensationally vivid or shocking”
Modern English
English
luridness
“the quality of being glaringly vivid, shocking, or sensational”