FETID
What does "FETID" mean?
Having a strong, foul, offensive smell.
Meanings
- Smelling extremely unpleasant, usually from rot or stagnation. A fetid breath of swamp gas rose as they pushed through the reeds.
Did you know?
- Plants weaponize fetid smells on purpose: the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) reeks of rotting meat to lure carrion beetles and flies into pollinating it.
Word origin
From Latin 'fetidus' (also spelled 'foetidus'), from 'fetere' meaning to stink; entered English in the early 15th century.
Remember it
FETID sounds like 'fetus' plus 'id' but think 'FET-id' = something left in a hot car that you forgot - it stinks.
A little poem
The marsh exhales its old green breath,
sweet at the rim, then fetid underneath-
even the wind turns its head.
tercet
What it teaches
What rots loudest often did so quietly first; trust your nose before the room agrees.
Quick facts
What does FETID mean?
Having a strong, foul, offensive smell.
Is FETID a valid word?
Yes — FETID is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is FETID?
FETID has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does FETID come from?
From Latin 'fetidus' (also spelled 'foetidus'), from 'fetere' meaning to stink; entered English in the early 15th century.
What can FETID teach us?
What rots loudest often did so quietly first; trust your nose before the room agrees.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.