Botulus
/ˈbɒt.jʊ.ləs/noun
A Latin word meaning “sausage,” occasionally used in English historical or medical contexts as the source of botulism terminology.
Did you know?The bacterium’s name, *Clostridium botulinum*, ultimately comes from Latin *botulus*, “sausage,” after outbreaks linked to contaminated sausages in nineteenth-century Germany.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
botulus
“Sausage; a stuffed or linked meat preparation”
Late Latin
Latin
botulus
“Sausage, especially as a food associated with spoilage or poisoning”
19th Century
German
Botulismus
“Illness caused by eating toxin-contaminated sausage”
1890
English
botulism
“A form of food poisoning caused by botulinum toxin”
Modern English
English
botulus
“A learned Latin term preserved chiefly in historical and scientific discussions”