injurious
Meaning
causing or likely to cause damage or harm
(of language) unfair or insulting; defamatory
Structure
Usage
smoking is injurious to health.
the newspaper published an injurious statement about the company.
the chemical spill had an injurious effect on the local wildlife.
Etymology
the word 'injurious' entered english in the late middle english period, borrowed from anglo-norman injurius and directly from latin injuriōsus. its core component, iniuria, is itself a compound from latin in- (meaning 'not') and ius (meaning 'right, law'), thus literally signifying 'something not right'. the suffix -osus was a productive way of forming adjectives indicating an abundance of a quality. therefore, the literal sense of 'injurious' is 'full of wrong or injustice'. over time, the meaning evolved from the abstract sense of 'unjust' to more concretely describe actions, substances, or words that are harmful or damaging, effectively characterizing them as being 'full of injury'.
Analysis
injuri originates from latin iniuria, meaning 'injustice, injury, wrong'. the suffix -ous is from latin -osus, meaning 'full of, characterized by', and functions as an adjective-forming suffix in english.