Arts & Culture The Naughty Etymologist The Naughty Etymologist 02-02-2018 By Jacqueline Gerber Published February 2, 2018 at 3:33 PM EST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen Friday's naughty-sounding word, fulinginous, from the Latin for "soot," means sooty, murky, or obscure. Try this on your friendly chimney-sweep.