different between deleterious vs wicked

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin deleterius, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (d?l?t?rios, “noxious, deleterious”), from ??????? (d?l?t?r, “a destroyer”), from ???????? (d?léomai, “I hurt, damage, spoil, waste”), 1640s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t???i.?s/, /?d?l??t???i.?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t??i.?s/
• Rhymes: -??ri?s

Adjective

deleterious (comparative more deleterious, superlative most deleterious)

1. Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way.

   Synonyms: destructive, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious; see also Thesaurus:harmful
2. (genetics) having lower fitness.

Derived terms

• deleteriously
• deleteriousness

Related terms

• delete
• deletion
• deletory

Translations

Further reading

• deleterious at OneLook Dictionary Search
• deleterious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “deleterious”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

References

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wi??a (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?k??d, IPA^(key): /?w?k?d/

Adjective

wicked (comparative wickeder or more wicked, superlative wickedest or most wicked)

1. Evil or mischievous by nature.

   Synonyms: evil, immoral, malevolent, malicious, nefarious, twisted, villainous; see also Thesaurus:evil

2. (slang) Excellent; awesome; masterful.

   Synonyms: awesome, bad, cool, dope, excellent, far out, groovy, hot, rad; see also Thesaurus:excellent

Usage notes

Use of "wicked" as an adjective rather than an adverb is considered an error in the Boston dialect. However, that is not necessarily the case in other New England dialects.

Derived terms

• wickedly
• wickedness
• wicked tongue

Translations

Adverb

wicked (not comparable)

1. (slang, New England, Britain) Very, extremely.

   Synonyms: hella, helluv (both Californian/regional, and both potentially considered mildly vulgar)

Translations

Etymology 2

See wick.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?kt, IPA^(key): /w?kt/

Verb

wicked

1. simple past tense and past participle of wick

Adjective

wicked (not comparable)

1. Having a wick.

Derived terms

• multiwicked

Etymology 3

See wick.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w?k?d/

Adjective

wicked

1. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) Active; brisk.
2. (Britain, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Infested with maggots.
3. Alternative form of wick, as applying to inanimate objects only.

References

Middle English

Adjective

wicked

1. Alternative form of wikked