a. Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly: a pernicious virus.
b. Causing great harm; destructive: pernicious rumors.
2. Archaic Evil; wicked.
[Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin pernicisus, from pernicis, destruction : per-, per- + nex, nec-, violent death; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots.]
r-n
sh
sus, from pernici
s, destruction : per-, per- + nex, nec-, violent death; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots.]