Added 7 October 2026
ill
/ɪl/ symbol
In Latin: īnfirmus, aeger, aegrōtus Wiktionary
symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ill at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
- Evil; wicked (of people). .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- Morally reprehensible (of behaviour etc.); blameworthy.
-
Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.
He suffered from ill treatment.
adverb
noun
Origin
From Middle English ille (“evil; wicked”), from Old Norse íllr (adjective), ílla (adverb), ílt (noun), from Proto-Germanic *ilhilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elḱ- (whence Latin ulcus (“sore”), Ancient Greek ἕλκος (hélkos, “wound, ulcer”), Sanskrit अर्शस् (árśas, “hemorrhoids”)). Cognates Cognate with Scots and Yola ill, Danish ilde (“bad”), Faroese, Icelandic illur (“bad, ill, wicked”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk ille (“bad”), Swedish illa (“badly; poorly”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)