an investigative train of thought:
“dyspeptic”
> pep…
> pepto bismol?
Search: dyspeptic etymology
Result > Greek. dys (adj. “faulty”) + pessein (v. “to digest”)
Search: pepsin etymology
Result > Pepsin | Definition of Pepsin by Merriam-Webster: a protease of the stomach that breaks down most proteins to polypeptides
Search: pepto bismol etymology
Result > LA Times Article from 1992 (short version: Pepto = “marketeer’s version of pepsin” + Bismol = bismuth, “the active ingredient that works by ‘coating the stomach’”). Note: Pepto is now pepsin-less.
Search: Pepsi etymology
Result > “‘healthy’ cola that aided digestion. The word ‘Pepsi’ comes from the root for dyspepsia, which means indigestion”.
Search: pep etymology
Result > English. Pepper —> pep. Early 20th Century: abbreviation of pepper (cit. Oxford Languages)
…well…
I guess pepper can irritate the stomach?