rotten

Where does the word "rotten" come from? It comes from Old Norse rotinn, passing through Middle English before entering English (1800s).

Rotten’s story begins in Old Norse: rotinn meant “decayed.” A past participle form, 'having rotted', cousin of native English 'rot'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as roten. Edged out Old English 'rotod' as the everyday adjective. It reached English by 1800s as rotten. By the 19th century it also served as casual slang for anything bad or unpleasant. Today, rotten means decayed and decomposing; very bad or unpleasant.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval rotinn "decayed", a past participle form, 'having rotted', cousin of native English 'rot'.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1200s roten "decomposed, putrid", edged out Old English 'rotod' as the everyday adjective.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s rotten "decayed; very bad", by the 19th century it also served as casual slang for anything bad or unpleasant.