凄まじい

Etymology
From. First cited in the  of 720.

Derived from verb, possibly from the causative form. May be cognate with the susa element in the name of the Shinto god,.

The term initially evoked senses of in reference to people or emotions, and  in reference to natural phenomena. Usage then shifted to a focus on during the  and  periods (1100s–1500s).

The adjective appears initially without voicing on the last element, as susamashi in the terminal form. The voicing appears from roughly the (late 1100s–early 1300s), with both unvoiced susamashi and voiced susamaji appearing in free variation until the late 1500s.

Adjective

 * 1) dreadful, threatening
 * 2) fierce, extreme, tremendous