It may come as a surprise, but the word poop has multiple meanings that are not related at all. The first definition, referring to “excrement,” originated in the mid-eighteenth century as a children’s euphemism. It is believed to have derived from an earlier verb, poupen, meaning “blast,” and is thought to have imitative origins. On the other hand, the second definition of poop, meaning the “topmost deck of the back of a ship,” dates back to the fifteenth century and comes from the French word poupe, which means the “stern of a ship.” This word journeyed through Old French pope and Italian poppa before originating from the Latin word puppis, still meaning “stern.” Other meanings of poop include “stupid person” (possibly derived from nincompoop), a verb meaning “tired” (linked to exhaustion and defecation), and a type of sheet used in the US Army (somehow associated with the “excrement” definition).
