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Crap - Etymology

Crap - Etymology: Encyclopedia II - Crap - Etymology

Contrary to popular belief, crap is not derived from Thomas Crapper's name. It is, in fact, much older. It is one of a group of nouns applied to discarded cast offs, like "residue from renderings" (1490s) or in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale", meanings probably extended from Middle English crappe "chaff, or grain that has been trodden underfoot in a barn" (c. 1440), deriving ultimately from Late Latin crappa, "chaff." For a more detailed disparation of the myths, ...

Crap: Encyclopedia II - Crap - Etymology

Crap - Etymology

Contrary to popular belief, crap is not derived from Thomas Crapper's name. It is, in fact, much older. It is one of a group of nouns applied to discarded cast offs, like "residue from renderings" (1490s) or in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale", meanings probably extended from Middle English crappe "chaff, or grain that has been trodden underfoot in a barn" (c. 1440), deriving ultimately from Late Latin crappa, "chaff."

For a more detailed disparation of the myths, see the article on Thomas Crapper.