Lewis & Short

horrĕo, ui, ēre, v. n. and a. [for horseo, kindred to Sanscr. hrish, to stand erect, to bristle], to stand on end, stand erect, to bristle.

  1. I. Lit. (for the most part only poet.; not in Ciceron. prose): in corpore pili, ut arista in spica hordei, horrent, Varr. L. L. 6, § 49 Müll.; cf.: et setae densis similes hastilibus horrent, Ov. M. 8, 285: saepe horrere sacros doluit Latona capillos, Tib. 2, 3, 23: horrentibus per totum corpus villis, Plin. 8, 40, 61, § 150: horrentes barbae, Petr. 99: horrentibus scopulis gradum inferre, Plin. Pan. 81, 1: horrentes rubi, Verg. G. 3, 315: horrentibus hastis, id. A. 10, 178: horrebant densis aspera crura pilis, Ov. F. 2, 348: rigidis setis, id. M. 13, 846: horret capillis ut marinus asperis Echinus aut currens aper, Hor. Epod. 5, 27: pervigil ecce draco squamis crepitantibus horrens Sibilat, Ov. H. 12, 101: densantur campis horrentia tela virorum, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 866 P. (Ann. v. 288 Vahl.); cf.: hastis longis campus splendet et horret, id. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4 (Sat. v. 15 Vahl.); imitated Verg. A. 11, 602 Serv.; Liv. 44, 41, 6: mare cum horret fluctibus, is ruffled, rough, Att. ap. Non. 422, 33: duris cautibus horrens Caucasus, Verg. A. 4, 366: silvis horrentia saxa fragosis, Ov. M. 4, 778.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. To move in an unsteady, shaking manner.
      1. 1. In gen., to shake, tremble (very rare): corpus ut impulsae segetes Aquilonibus horret, Ov. H. 10, 139; cf. horresco.
      2. 2. In partic.
        1. a. To shake, shiver with cold, rigere (poet. and very rare): saepe etiam dominae, quamvis horrebis et ipse, Algentis manus est calfacienda sinu, Ov. A. A. 2, 213: horrenti tunicam non reddere servo, Juv. 1, 93: sola pruinosis horret facundia pannis, Petr. 83.
        2. b. To tremble, shudder, quake with fright; more freq. as a verb. act., with an object, to shudder or be frightened at, to tremble at, be afraid of (the class. signif. of the word, equally freq. in prose and poetry; cf.: exsecror, abominor, aversor, abhorreo, odi, exhorresco).
          1. (α) Absol.: totus, Parmeno, Tremo horreoque, postquam aspexi hanc, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 4: Ph. Extimuit tum illa? Me. Horret corpus, cor salit, Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 9: arrectis auribus horrent Quadrupedes monstrique metu turbantur, Ov. M. 15, 516: scilicet horreres majoraque monstra putares, si mulier vitulum ederet, Juv. 2, 122.
          2. (β) With acc.: si qui imbecillius horrent dolorem et reformidant, Cic. Tusc. 5, 30, 85: deorum (conscientiam) horrere, id. Fin. 1, 16, 51: judicium et crimen, id. Verr. 2, 5, 29, § 74; cf.: ingrati animi crimen, id. Att. 9, 2, A, 2: ipsam victoriam, id. Fam. 7, 3, 2: Ariovisti crudelitatem, * Caes. B. G. 1, 32, 4: nomen ipsum accusatoris, Quint. 12, 7, 1: fragilitatis humanae vires, Plin. Pan. 27, 1: pauperiem, Hor. S. 2, 5, 9: onus, id. Ep. 1, 17, 39: iratum mare, id. Epod. 2, 6: nutum divitis, id. Ep. 1, 18, 11: strictas secures trepida cervice, Sil. 6, 695 et saep.: te Negligit aut horret, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 64; cf.: quem dives amicus odit et horret, id. ib. 1, 18, 25: horrent admotas vulnera cruda manus, Ov. P. 1, 3, 16: aciem ac tela horrere, Liv. 21, 53, 2; Curt. 7, 8, 4; 9, 2, 33: illam, quam laudibus effert, horrere, to loathe, Juv. 6, 183.
          3. (γ) With an inf. or relat.-clause: ego vestris armis armatus non horrui in hunc locum progredi, Cic. Agr. 2, 37, 101: horreo dicere, Liv. 7, 40, 9: horret animus referre, id. 2, 37, 6; 28, 29, 4; Lact. 7, 15, 11; 6, 17, 7: dominatio tanto in odio est omnibus, ut quorsus eruptura sit, horreamus, Cic. Att. 2, 21, 1; 1, 27, 1: quemadmodum accepturi sitis, horreo, id. Phil. 7, 3, 8.
          4. (δ) With ne: eo plus horreo, ne illae magis res nos ceperint, quam nos illas, Liv. 34, 4, 3.
        3. c. To shudder with amazement, to be astonished, amazed (very rare): quae mehercule ego, Crasse, cum tractantur in causis, horrere soleo, Cic. de Or. 2, 45, 188: animo horrere, id. Dom. 55, 140: cogitatione, Curt. 9, 6, 12; cf. horrendus, 2.
    2. B. To be of a rough or frightful appearance; to look rough, look frightful; to be terrible, dreadful, horrid (rare; mostly poet.): possetne uno tempore florere, deinde vicissim horrere terra, Cic. N. D. 2, 7, 19: quaedam loca frigoribus hiemis intolerabiliter horrent, Col. 1, 4, 9; German. Progn. 2, 158; cf.: nec fera tempestas toto tamen horret in anno. Ov. F. 1, 495: Phoebus, Stat. Th. 4, 1.
      1. 2. Trop.: horrebant saevis omnia verba minis, Ov. R. Am. 664.
        Hence,
    1. A. horrens, entis, P. a. (acc. to I.), bristly, shaggy, rough (poet. and very rare): horrens Arcadius sus, Lucr. 5, 25: horrentique atrum nemus imminet umbra, Verg. A. 1, 165: horrentes Marte Latinos, id. ib. 10, 237: horrensque feris altaribus Esus, Luc. 1, 445.
    2. B. hor-rendus, a, um, P. a.
      1. 1. (Acc. to II. A. 2. b.) Dreadful, terrible, fearful, terrific, horrible (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): horrendum et dictu video mirabile monstrum, Verg. A. 3, 26: truces horrendaeque imagines, Plin. Pan. 52, 5: silva invia atque horrenda, Liv. 9, 36, 1: Roma, Hor. C. 3, 3, 45: rabies, id. S. 2, 3, 323: diluvies, id. C. 4, 14, 27: tempestas (with foeda), Vell. 2, 100, 2: nox, Ov. F. 6, 140: vox, Val. Fl. 1, 210; cf.: lex erat horrendi carminis, Liv. 1, 26, 6: juvenis Parthis horrendus, Hor. S. 2, 5, 62: pallor utrasque Fecerat horrendas aspectu, id. ib. 1, 8, 26: res horrenda relatu, Ov. M. 15, 298: horrendum dictu! Verg. A. 4, 454.
        Neutr. adv.: belua Lernae Horrendum stridens, Verg. A. 6, 288: arma Horrendum sonuere, id. ib. 9, 732; 12, 700: intonet horrendum, Juv. 6, 485.
        Plur.: horrenda circumsonantibus Alemannis, Amm. 27, 10, 10.
      2. 2. In a good sense, wonderful, awful, venerable (poet.): horrenda virgo (Camilla), Verg. A. 11, 507: horrendae procul secreta Sibyllae, id. ib. 6, 10: tectum augustum, ingens … Horrendum silvis et religione parentum, id. ib. 7, 172.
        Adv.: horrendē, dreadfully, Vulg. Sap. 6, 5; 17, 3.