Putrid

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tcward
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Putrid

Postby tcward » Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:42 am

From etymonline.com:
putrid
c.1412, from L. putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink," from PIE base *pu- "to rot, stink" (see pus). First in ref. to putrid fever, an old name for typhus.
You can't help but snarl your upper lip a bit when you say a word like putrid.

What really struck me in the etymology was the PIE base *pu- "to rot, stink". As a parent, it immediately brought to mind the word many folks use to describe such deposits left by infants in their diapers...

-Tim

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gailr
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Postby gailr » Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:24 pm

That same snarl appears on the faces of my educator friends when referring to their less-than-attentive pupils...
gailr


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