*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cruel

From Middle English cruel, borrowed from Old French cruel, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success) · To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive.

adj

Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless. · Harsh; severe. · Cool; awesome; neat.

adv

To a great degree; terribly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cruel, borrowed from Old French cruel, from Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”), akin to crūdus (“raw, crude”); see crude.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krewh₂-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cruel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cruel"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "cruel"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French cruel"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "crūdēlis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "hard, severe, cruel"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin crūdēlis (“hard, severe, cruel”)"
    }
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      "crudelis#Latin"
    ],
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    ],
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      "crude#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To spoil or ruin (one's chance of success)",
        "To violently provoke (a child) in the belief that this will make them more assertive."
      ],
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.",
        "Harsh; severe.",
        "Cool; awesome; neat."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
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      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "To a great degree; terribly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "nonstandard",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cruel →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y3J1ZWw