Where does “bullshit” come from?
Bullshit derives from English bull, from Middle English bulle, from Latin bulla, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
bullshit (English): The faeces of a bull; False or exaggerated...
Definitions
- The faeces of a bull; False or exaggerated...
Ancestry of “bullshit”, step by step
bullshit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shit | Solid excretory product evacuated from the... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | schite | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | skīta | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | skiti | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skītaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱeyd- | to shade; to cut off; to part with, separate, cut... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |