French word merde comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd-, Proto-Indo-European *smerd-h₂-, and later Latin merda ((slang, vulgar) dung, excrement, shit.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *(s)merd- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *smerd-h₂- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *(s)merdā | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | |
| merda | Latin (lat) | (slang, vulgar) dung, excrement, shit. |
| merde | Old French (fro) | |
| merde | Middle French (frm) | (figuratively) shit (something undesirable). (vulgar) shit (feces). |
| merde | French (fra) | (pejorative) a dickhead, a fuckhead, a bastard. (vulgar) turd, piece of feces, shit. Shit (something of poor quality). Shit (something undesirable or unwanted) (theatre) break a leg!. (vulgar) shit!, crap!. |