Where does “malodorous” come from?
Malodorous comes from Old French mal- combined with English odorous, tracing ultimately through Latin malus and Proto-Indo-European melH₂- meaning bad or wrong.
malodorous (English): Having a bad odor; Highly improper
Definitions
- Having a bad odor; Highly improper
Ancestry of “malodorous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mal- | bad, badly as in maladjusted, malcontent -... |
| 2 | Old French | mal- | bad; badly |
| 3 | Latin | male | badly; wrongly; cruelly, wickedly |
| 4 | Latin | malus | unpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μηλέα | apple tree |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |