popo (French)
Where does "popo" come from?
The French noun 'popo', meaning 'potty' or 'poop', derives from the word 'pot'[1]. This root traces back through Middle French and Old French 'pot'[2], coming from Vulgar Latin 'pottum' or 'pottus'[2], which meant a pot or jar. The term ultimately stems from Frankish '*pott' and Proto-Germanic '*puttaz'[2], reaching further back to the Proto-Indo-European base '*budn-' denoting a kind of vessel[2].
Open questions
- The ultimate connection to Proto-Indo-European '*budn-' is based on historical reconstruction. [2]
Full etymology tree
- popo (French), 'potty'
- derived pot (French), 'pot, jar, vase, tin, can, carton (a container of any of various materials)'
- inherited pot (Middle French)
- inherited pot (Old French), 'pot (storage/cooking vessel)'
- inherited pottus (Vulgar Latin)
- borrowed *pott (Frankish)
- inherited *puttaz (Proto-Germanic), 'pot, jar, tub'
- inherited *budn- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *puttaz (Proto-Germanic), 'pot, jar, tub'
- borrowed *pott (Frankish)
- inherited pottus (Vulgar Latin)
- inherited pot (Old French), 'pot (storage/cooking vessel)'
- inherited pot (Middle French)
- derived pot (French), 'pot, jar, vase, tin, can, carton (a container of any of various materials)'
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris