jumentous

May. 31st, 2016 07:50 am
prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (words are sexy)
[personal profile] prettygoodword
jumentous (djoo-MEN-tuhs) - adj., smelling strongly of a beast of burden, especially of horse.


Used almost exclusively (when it was used at all, mainly by medical types) of urine -- so smelling of horse piss. This is something associated with certain diseases, thus the medical angle. Coined around 1800 from Latin jumentum, yoke-beast, from jugum, a yoke -- and while this might be taken to encompass oxen, it turns out that Romans most often plowed with horses or donkeys. (In French, jument means a mare.) Feel free to mark this under the department of They Really Have A Word For That? and move on. (For the record, I've no idea where I came across this one.)

---L.

Date: 2016-05-31 03:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fflo.livejournal.com
I may just use that one. It's has a good sound to it.

Date: 2016-05-31 03:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com
It does -- that's the main reason I posted it at all, rather than discarding it.

Date: 2016-05-31 05:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] movingfinger.livejournal.com
It sounds just enough like "tremendous" to be very useful in invective!

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