Puteus
/ˈpuː.te.ʊs/noun
Latin for a pit, well, or shaft.
Did you know?*Puteus* is the ancestor of English words like *pit* and *putrid*, because ancient Romans linked deep holes with rot, decay, and the smell of corruption.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pew-
“to stink, rot, decay”
Latin
Latin
puteus
“a pit, shaft, or well”
Late Latin
Latin
putēum
“a well or pit”
Old French
Old French
puit
“well”
Middle English
English
pit
“a hole or excavation in the ground”
Modern English
English
pit
“a hole in the ground; a hollow place”