Hi everyone. Long time, no see. Work and parenthood keeping me busy these days! Anyway, I got to wondering about the etymology of compete. I knew that the com- part at the beginning is from the Latin for with, but what about the --pete? Turns out this comes from the Latin verb petere -- which is variously defined as to ask, to seek, or to beg or beseech. And it turns out that there are many common English words whose etymology traces back to petere, including:

appetite
impetigo
centrepital
impetus
petition
petulant
repeat
impetuous

And I even learned a new [to me] word, appetence
1. intense desire; strong natural craving; appetite.
2. instinctive inclination or natural tendency.
3. material or chemical attraction or affinity.

There is even a "app" -- no pun intended -- called Appetence, which is a "slow dating" service for singles. I am not entirely sure what "slow dating" is but my best guess it is either an activity for singles who do not wish to hop into bed together on the first date, or else it is intended to help dim witted people find mates. I myself have no use for such an app, ensconced as I am in matrimony, which is the slowest dating of all. Ciao.

Yeah, Ciao.

Hey Alex !

I wonder whether "petard" might share the same root. Certainly petition does.

Apparently "petard" owes its origin to the Latin word for "to fart," of all things.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/petard

petard (n.)

1590s, "small bomb used to blow in doors and breach walls," from French pétard (late 16c.), from Middle French péter "break wind," from Old French pet "a fart," from Latin peditum, noun use of neuter past participle of pedere "to break wind," from PIE root *pezd- "to fart" (see feisty). Surviving in phrase hoist with one's own petard (or some variant) "blown up with one's own bomb," which is ultimately from Shakespeare (1605):

Well, that was unexpected

Great, now I'll go all day saying I just "petarded." haha

All Day???
What was for supper yesterday?

Seriously WELCOME