Etymograph

English

stinkbug

From stink + bug.

A compound of stink + bug

Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- ‘to push’

Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną ‘to emit a smell’

Old English stincan ‘to stink’

Middle English stinken

English stink

Middle English bugge ‘scarecrow, hobgoblin’

English bug

Today it means

noun Any of several insects, usually shield-shaped, possessing a gland that produces a foul-smelling liquid, usually containing aldehydes, which they use to discourage predators.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / stinkbug