Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scrofulous” come from?

Scrofulous comes from English scrofula, from Latin scrofula meaning sow, ultimately from Proto-Italic -owonssos, a suffix formation in Latin -osus denoting a quality or condition.

scrofulous (English): Of, related to, or suffering from scrofula;...

Definitions

  1. Of, related to, or suffering from scrofula;...

Ancestry of “scrofulous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscrofulaA form of tuberculosis, most common in children,...
2Latinscrofula—
3Latinscrofasow
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kerbʰ-to turn, curve; to turn , wind; to turn around,...
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
6Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “scrofulous”

  • antiscrofulous
  • scrofulously
  • scrofulousness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →