torpe

/ˈtoɾpe/ · B1 · adj

clumsy, awkward

From Latin turpis (ugly, shameful), as in English moral turpitude

Latin turpis meant ugly or disgraceful, which is where the dishonest sense comes from. For the clumsy sense, think of the sound-alike torpid: slow and sluggish, as a bungler is. Torpid is only a sound hook, not a related word.

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