Etymograph

English

botulism

Botulism comes from Latin botulus ‘sausage’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbotulus1‘sausage’
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentBotulismus1
  3. Englishtodaybotulism1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English botulism

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbotulusWiktionary, English botulism‘sausage’
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentBotulismusWiktionary, English botulism
  3. EnglishtodaybotulismWiktionary, English botulism

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷet- ‘swelling’

quid, bequest, bitumen, bequeath, cud, quoth, 14 more

through Latin botulus ‘sausage’

pudding, bowel, 6 more

Today it means

noun Poisoning caused by the toxin from Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic bacterium that grows in improperly prepared food.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “botulism”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin botulus / botulism

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