detestare

to detest; to loathe

verb deh-teh-STAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin detestari (to curse, to abhor), from de- + testis (witness, invoking the gods as witnesses).

Usage Note

Detestare expresses strong aversion — stronger than non piacere or non sopportare. Like amare, it takes a direct object without a preposition: detesto il traffico (I detest traffic). It is transitive and conjugates with avere: ho detestato quella cena (I loathed that dinner).

Examples

"Detesta alzarsi presto al mattino."

Natural Translation

He detests getting up early in the morning.

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