Etymology

asafoetida

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Today it means: A resinous gum from the stem and roots of Ferula species such as Ferula foetida and Ferula assa-foetida, having a strong, unpleasant smell, with culinary and medical uses. Full definition →

First used 14th c.Medieval Latin asafoetida ← Persian ازا / آزا ← Latin foetida
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromfoetida
  2. Persian · derived fromازا / آزا“mastic”
  3. Medieval Latin · derived fromasafoetida
  4. English todayasafoetida

Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin asafoetida, from Persian ازا / آزا (azâ, âzâ, “mastic”) + Latin foetida, feminine of foetidus (“bad-smelling”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 14th c. A resinous gum from the stem and roots of Ferula species such as Ferula foetida and Ferula assa-foetida, having a strong, unpleasant smell, with culinary and medical uses.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.