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Origin and history of putrid


putrid(adj.)

late 14c., "festering gangrenous, in a state of decay," from Old French putride and directly from Latin putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink," from PIE root *pu- (2) "to rot, stink" (see pus). First in reference to putrid fever, an old name for typhus (also known in Middle English as putrida), which supposedly was caused by putrefaction of bodily humors. Related: Putridness.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to putrid


pus(n.)

yellowish-white inflammatory exudation, consisting of white blood cells, etc., produced by suppuration, late 14c., from Latin pus "pus, matter from a sore;" figuratively "bitterness, malice" (related to puter "rotten" and putere "to stink"), from PIE *pu- (2) "to rot, decay" (source also of Sanskrit puyati "rots, stinks," putih "stinking, foul, rotten;" Greek puon "discharge from a sore," pythein "to cause to rot;" Lithuanian pūvu, pūti "to rot;" Gothic fuls, Old English ful "foul"), perhaps originally echoic of a natural exclamation of disgust.

The formation of pus is called suppuration. A collection of pus within the solid tissues is called an abscess. A suppurating open sore is an ulcer. [Century Dictionary]
putrefaction(n.)

c. 1400, putrefaccioun, "process of decomposition of organic matter," from Old French putrefaction (14c.), from Latin putrefactionem (nominative putrefactio), noun of action from past-participle stem of putrefacere "to make rotten," from putrere "to be rotten" (see putrid) + facere "to make, do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). By early 15c. as "that which is putrid or decomposed." Putrification sometimes also is used. Related: Putrefactive.

  • putrefy
  • putrescence
  • putrescent
  • putridity
  • See All Related Words (6)
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Trends of putrid


adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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Dictionary entries near putrid

  • put-put
  • putrefaction
  • putrefy
  • putrescence
  • putrescent
  • putrid
  • putridity
  • putsch
  • putt
  • puttee
  • putter
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