Where does “rotgut” come from?
rotgut (English) comes from English rot, from Middle English roten, from Middle English rote, from Old French rote, from Latin rupta, from Latin ruptus, from Latin rumpō, from Proto-Indo-European Hrunépti — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.
rotgut (English): raw or poor-quality alcoholic liquor
Definitions
- raw or poor-quality alcoholic liquor
Ancestry of “rotgut”, step by step
rotgut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rot | To suffer decomposition due to biological action,... |
| 2 | Middle English | roten | To decompose; to make or become rotten or spoiled |
| 3 | Middle English | rote | The root; The foundation or base of a... |
| 4 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 5 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 6 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 7 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |