Everybody poops! But not everybody knows these eight synonyms for poop.
You may be surprised to learn that the word poop actually has more than one meaning. You can use it to describe a feeling, like being pooped, which means to be overtired. As in, I was up until 3 in the morning, so I’m totally pooped.
You can also receive poop, which is slang for the low-down, or relevant information. As in, I didn’t have time to read that entire article you shared on Facebook this morning. Can you just give me the poop?
However, the word is most commonly used to describe what happens in the bathroom. In that instance, poop means “to defecate.” Of course, it’s also a slang word that means “feces.”
The word poop, as far as written evidence is concerned, is younger than you think. It’s only first recorded in the early 1700s, and originally imitated the “tooting” sounds that happen when breaking wind or defecating.
So, while you may describe your morning constitutional another way—dropping a deuce, taking a dump, or answering nature’s call are all slang for pooping—there may be no denying that your poop has a particular sound. (Is that you in the bathroom, or is a marching band coming through?)
Below, you’ll find the poop (see what we did there?) on eight words you might not recognize but are synonyms for poop.
excrement
You’re probably already familiar with the word excrement, which means “waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces.” But did you know that the word comes from a Latin word, excr?mentum, literally “something excreted”? Excrement is first recorded in English around 1525–35 and is a good way to describe what goes on when you visit the toilet.
The next time you find yourself struggling for another word for poop (and turd won’t cut it), use excrement. For example, I just had to use the hose on my shoes. I somehow managed to step in some excrement when I took the dog for a walk.
excreta
Excrement is related to our next cloacal synonym: excreta.
You can use the word excreta, which means “excreted matter, like urine, feces, or sweat,” the next time you find yourself in need of a more refined synonym for poop. Although this seldom-used word can cover a host of bodily functions, it works as a descriptor for poo, too.
Excreta is first recorded around 1855–60, and is borrowed directly from the Latin excr?ta, which means things “sifted out or separated,” from the same verb that gives us excrete and excrement.
Try using it when you’re describing some things … you’d rather not be describing. For example, That was the dirtiest gas station bathroom I’ve ever visited. There was just as much excreta around the bowl as there was in the bowl.
ordure
Trust us, though this might sound like the fancy name for a vegetable, you would never want to order ordure from the menu. The word, which means “dung, manure, or excrement,” is more likely to come up in conversations about the growing of what is on the menu by way of agricultural poop, or fertilizer.
The word is found as early as 1300–50, and comes from Old French word for “filthy,” in turn from Latin word horridus (“horrid”).
If you enjoy a good pun, you can use ordure the next time you drive past a farm that has recently been fertilized with manure. If your fellow passengers notice it, just say, “Oh that odor, it’s ordure.”
scat
You’re likely to encounter scat, or “the excrement of an animal,” by accident, unless, of course, you’re tracking an animal or trying to identify what has been nibbling on the lettuce from your garden every night. (If the scat is round, and looks like a pile of pebbles, it’s probably a rabbit.)
The word scat is evidenced in 1925–30, and its origins are obscure. It could be connected to the Greek word sk?r (“dung”). The stem of this word is skat- (and that’s where scatological comes from).
Use scat to talk about what you found on your nature walk. For example, I didn’t realize we had such a variety of wildlife living so close to us. I saw at least five different types of scat on my walk today.
soiled
Surely you’ve heard someone say they were so scared that they, um, almost soiled their pants. Alright, maybe they actually used a different S-word to describe their fear, but that does not mean that soil is not the perfect word to use in this context. Soil means “refuse, manure, or excrement.”
The verb soil comes from a French verb meaning “to dirty,” apparently from the Latin sucula, meaning “little pig,” known for their mud-wallowing. Soil is a fresh way to talk about what happens when you find yourself in a not-so-fresh condition.
Saying soiled, instead of pooped, can work as well. For example, Can you give me a moment? I need to change the baby, he soiled his diaper again. Or, you can use it in the context of being afraid: Please tell me there aren’t any clowns in this movie. Every time one of them pops out from behind something I’m afraid I’ll soil my shorts.
muck
This one’s thrown around quite a bit during election season (as in, muck slinging). Muck, which means “moist farmyard dung, decaying vegetable matter, or manure” can be found on most farms and, unfortunately, on some campaign trails in the way of negative advertisements or attack ads.
The word muck dates back to 1200–50 and comes from the Middle English muc or muk, related to the Old Norse myki, meaning “cow dung.” Puts a whole new spin on muckraking, huh?
Muck can help you describe something you think is beneath you, your station, or your office. For example, No, I don’t want to bring up those allegations when we talk. I’d like to avoid any muck slinging.
coprolite
If you ever find yourself in a situation in which you’re talking about old poop, you’ll want to use the word coprolite. Coprolite is “a stony mass consisting of fossilized fecal matter of animals.” While that may conjure images of dinosaurs (or dinosaur poop, to be exact), any old poop can be considered coprolite as long as its both old and poop. The word was first recorded in 1820-30, and comes from roots that literally meaning “dung stone.”
What constitutes as old in this case? Well, coprolite is so old it has completely hardened and lost any trace of smell. Odorless poop might actually be the best kind of poop there is.
If you want to add the word coprolite to your vocabulary, you might say, “I was doing some yard work this weekend, and I think I uncovered some of our old dog’s poop. He’s been gone for a few years now, so this stuff was practically coprolite!”
feculence
If you’ve ever been to a concert or outdoor event, you’ve probably encountered feculence. Feculence, which means “full of dregs or fecal matter; foul, turbid, or muddy,” is an apt way of describing what you might find at the bottom of a Porta-Potty or an outhouse.
Derived from the Latin word faeculentus, meaning “full of dregs,” the word feculence dates back to 1425–75. And yes, feces is related.
To impress your friends with your newfound word, why not use it the next time they return from any bathroom without the benefit of indoor plumbing? You might ask, “How bad was it? Was there a lot of feculence? Should I hold it until we get home?”
We’re officially pooped from talking about poop now.
Why stop here? We’ve got a whole list of fancy words for other bodily functions!
