fierce
Exceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
Example
“A fierce storm battered the coast.”
Other meanings
resolute or strenuously active.
“We made a fierce attempt to escape.”
in appearance or demeanor.
“The lion gave a fierce roar.”
Word history
From Latin "ferus" (wild", "untamed).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “fierce” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.