Crapulous

From Hull AWE
Jump to: navigation, search

The adjective crapulous, meaning 'to do with excess, in drinking or in eating - or both', is not formed with the diminutive suffix -cule: it comes, through Latin, from the Greek noun κραιπάλη (craipalē) 'excess', 'surfeit', 'debauch'.

Crapulous has no direct etymological connection with the common informal noun crap, or the related adjective crappy, meaning 'dung' ('dungy'), used figuratively for 'rubbish', 'something worthless', as in the dismissive comment "That's a load of 'crap". This can be used to describe a film, a football team, a student's essay or indeed anything that is felt to be nonsensical, or of inferior quality. Students are strongly advised not to use these words in their academic work. Crap is related to a number of words in other Indo-European languages: krappen 'to pluck or cut off' (with noun krappe 'waste matter', 'trimmings', 'offal' etc) in Dutch; crappe ('chaff') in Old French; and crappa ('chaff') in Anglo-Latin . The original sense was 'chaff' (husks of grain', etc), and later also 'residue from rendering fat' as well as 'dregs of beer'.
Crapulous may, however, be used not only with impunity, but may even win approval from teachers with a wide vocabulary.