murderous

the word 'murderous' is a straightforward english formation, combining the native english noun 'murder' with the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ous', which was borrowed into english from latin via french. the old english root 'morðor' originally implied a secret or unlawful killing, a sense that has carried into the modern term 'murder'. by adding the suffix '-ous', meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by', the word literally means 'full of murder', evolving to describe someone or something possessing the qualities or intent to kill, or metaphorically, something extremely severe or dangerous.

Structure: murder (noun) + ous (adjective-forming suffix) murder (from old english 'morðor', meaning secret killing, murder) + ous (from latin '-osus', meaning full of, characterized by)