The Spanish word 'apestoso' (meaning 'stinky') has an interesting connection to disease and plague! It comes from the verb 'apestar' (meaning 'to stink'), which was formed by combining the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'toward'), the noun 'peste' (meaning 'plague'), and the verb suffix '-ar'. The Spanish 'peste' comes from Latin 'pestis', meaning 'plague' or 'pestilence'. Finally, the adjective suffix '-oso' (meaning 'full of') was added to 'apestar' to form 'apestoso', literally meaning 'full of plague-like qualities' - which came to refer to bad smells.

Some related Spanish words that might be easier to remember include 'peste' (plague), which is the root word. There's also the verb 'apestar' (to stink), which is commonly used in everyday Spanish. When you encounter something 'apestoso', you can think of it as something so smelly it's like a plague!

English speakers can relate this word to several familiar terms that share the same Latin root 'pestis': 'pest' (an annoying creature), 'pestilence' (a fatal epidemic disease), and 'pestilential' (harmful to health). While these English words focus more on the disease aspect of the Latin root, the Spanish 'apestoso' evolved to specifically describe offensive smells.