Etymograph

English

turpid

Turpid comes from Latin turpis ‘ugly, unsightly’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEturpis1‘ugly, unsightly’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1856turpid1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English turpid
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1856, Gustave Flaubert: “[...] things absurd in themselves, and completely opposed, moreover,…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEturpisWiktionary, English turpid‘ugly, unsightly’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1856turpidWiktionary, English turpid. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1856, Gustave Flaubert: “[...] things absurd in themselves, and completely opposed, moreover,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *trep- ‘to turn’

trophy, thrive, trope, intrepid, tropic, trepidation, troubadour, contrive, 28 more

Today it means

adj Foul; base; wicked; morally depraved.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “turpid”. 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 turpis / turpid

Shirt and support for this word