Title: Understanding the Mysterious History of "Stink"
Key Takeaways:
The verb "stink" has traditionally been a powerful verb with alternating vowels in its conjugation, much like the verbs "sink" and "ring."
Old Germanic words that were cognates of the word "stink" originally meant things like collision, movement, and sprinkling before changing to signify something like producing an odor.
Words frequently change over time as a result of how many people use a language, which is prevalent throughout linguistic history when it comes to word meaning degradation.
The origin of the word "stink," despite efforts to determine its etymology, is still unknown. Various theories that link it to different languages have produced mixed results.
Questions about the iconic nature of language's origin arise from the notion that early language had a relationship between sound and meaning.
Example: The word "stink" has a lengthy history, beginning with connotations connected to movement and collision before developing into its present definition of releasing an offensive odor.
Reference: Liberman, A. (2023, September 6). An Etymological Stinkpot: Word Origins and How We Know Them. OUPblog.
https://blog.oup.com/2023/09/an-etymological-stinkpost/
