turd

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*der-“to split, flay”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*turdą“manure, mud”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*tord
4. Old English · inherited fromtord“piece of dung, excrement, filth”
5. Middle English · inherited fromtoord
6. English todayturd

From Middle English toord, tord, from Old English tord (“piece of dung, excrement, filth”), from Proto-West Germanic *tord, from Proto-Germanic *turdą (“manure, mud”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to split, flay”). Cognate with Old English tyrdel (“dropping, small piece of excrement”), Old High German zort (“dung, excrement”), Old Norse torð- (“dung-”, in compounds), Middle Dutch tord (“lump of excrement”). More at tear, treddle.

Words from the same roots