Where does “merde” come from?
merde (English) comes from French merde, from Middle French merde, from Old French merde, from Latin merda, from Proto-Italic (s)merdā, from Proto-Indo-European smerd-h₂- — stench.
merde (English): shit
Ancestry of “merde”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | merde | shit!, crap!; break a leg!; turd, piece of feces,... |
| 2 | Middle French | merde | shit |
| 3 | Old French | merde | shit |
| 4 | Latin | merda | dung, excrement, shit |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | (s)merdā | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | smerd-h₂- | stench |