Etymology Dictionary

UGLY,  frightful, hateful.  (Scand.)   M. E. ugly, Chaucer, C. T. 8549; spelt uglike, Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, 2805.   We also find ugsom, frightful, Destruction of Troy, 877.—Icel. uggligr, fearful, dreadful, to be feared.—Icel. ugg-r, fear; with suffix -ligr = A. S. -líc = E. -like, -ly.   Cf. Icel. ugga, to fear.   We find also ýgligr, terrible, ýgr, fierce; and óask, to dread, fear, a reflexive form standing for an older form óga-sk, where -sk = sik, self; also ógn, terror, ógna, to threaten.   These words are allied to Goth. ogan, to fear, ogjan, to terrify.   β. All from a Teut. verb ÔGAN, to fear, Fick, iii. 12; which is a secondary verb from the Teut. base AG, to fear, appearing in Goth. agis, terror, Icel. agi, E. awe.   From ✔AGH, to choke.   See Awe.   ¶ The E. awe is rather Scand. than E.; it answers to Icel. agi, not to A. S. óga, which is, however, a related word.   This correction of the account given under Awe should be observed.   Der. ugli-ness, spelt uglynes, Pricke of Conscience, 917, where it is used to translate Lat. horror.   [The account of Awe is right in the second edition.]