c.1412, from L. putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink," from PIE base *pu- "to rot, stink" (see pus). First in ref. to putrid fever, an old name for typhus.
mod. alcohol intoxicated. (See also rotten.) : That guy is stinking drunk. Putrid, in fact.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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