Heinous

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Heinous \Hei"nous\, a. [OF. ha["i]nos hateful, F. haineux, fr. OF. ha["i]ne hate, F. haine, fr. ha["i]r to hate; of German origin. See Hate.] Hateful; hatefully bad; flagrant; odious; atrocious; giving great great offense; -- applied to deeds or to character. It were most heinous and accursed sacrilege. --Hooker. How heinous had the fact been, how deserving Contempt! --Milton. Syn: Monstrous; flagrant; flagitious; atrocious. -- Hei"nous*ly, adv. -- Hei"nous*ness, n.