Where did the F-Word come from?
Some of today's swearwords did indeed originate in Old English, including shit, arse, turd, and the British bollocks. The f-word is of Germanic origin, related to Dutch, German, and Swedish words for "to strike" and "to move back and forth.".
When did the word “fuck” come to be?
When did the word we all know and love today more definitively come to be? The first documented explicit use of the word fuck appears in a poem by Scottish poet and one time friar, William Dunbar, who wrote around 1503 in his Ane Brash of Wowing, “Yit be his feiris he wald haue fukkit”; or in context and translated:
What is the etymology of the word'FuG'?
This points to a possible etymology where Common Germanic *fuk (k)ōn- from the verbal root *fug- ('to blow') comes from an Indo-European root *peuk-, or *peuĝ- ('to strike'), cognate with non-Germanic words such as Latin pugno ('I fight') or pugnus ('fist').
Where did the term 'gouff' come from?
Allan Ramsay referred to 'gouff' in his Elegy to Maggy Johnston in 1711. Dr John Rattray, the winner of the Silver Club at Leith in 1744, 1745 and 1751, refers to the 'Gouffers' in a letter in 1752. The Loudoun Gowf Club maintains the tradition of this terminology. In Gaelic the word is 'goilf' and a golf course is 'raon goilf' or 'cùrsa goilf'.
What does the F stand for in the F-word?
Definition of the f-word —used as a way to refer to the offensive word "fuck" without saying it or writing it He got in trouble for using the f-word on television.
When did the F-word started?
Historians generally agree that "fuck" hit its stride in the 15th and 16th centuries as a familiar word for sexual intercourse, and from there it evolved into the vulgarity we know today.
What is the oldest swear word?
Fart, as it turns out, is one of the oldest rude words we have in the language: Its first record pops up in roughly 1250, meaning that if you were to travel 800 years back in time just to let one rip, everyone would at least be able to agree upon what that should be called.
What is the T word?
T-word, a euphemism for tranny, a pejorative term for transgender individuals.
Who first used the word "fuck"?
The first documented explicit use of the word fuck appears in a poem by Scottish poet and one time friar, William Dunbar, who wrote around 1503 in his Ane Brash of Wowing, “Yit be his feiris he wald haue fukkit”; or in context and translated: He embraced tight, he kissed and groped, As with the feeling he was overcome.
What does "fukka" mean in English?
Those advocating for this hypothesis point to the Norwegian “fukka”, meaning to “copulate”, or the Swedish “focka” to “copulate, strike, push”, which in turn may have derived from an Old Norse version of the words, which may have birthed the English “fuck”. Whatever the case, the word would soon find its way into John Florio’s 1598 Italian-English ...
What does "to Roger" mean?
And incidentally, what makes this one even more humorous is that around the 17th century, “to Roger” came to mean “to have sex” or “to penetrate”, from a slang for “penis” at the time. Meaning if you combine the two slang terms across centuries, he was “Penis Fuckebythenavele”.
Is the F word a noun?
In its various incarnations, the F-word can be a noun, verb, adjective, and even an infix. The Swiss Army Knife of the English language, this word has been adding spice to our conversations for centuries, even if our forbears were loathe to write it down. So where did it come from?
Can we dismiss origin stories?
Combined with the lack of evidence supporting such an origin, we can safely dismiss origin stories like these.
Where did the word "f" come from?
Some of today’s swearwords did indeed originate in Old English, including shit, arse, turd, and the British bollocks. The f-word is of Germanic origin, related to Dutch, German, and Swedish words for “to strike” and “to move back and forth.”. It first appears, though, only in the 16th century, in a manuscript of the Latin orator Cicero.
Where did the word "fuckin abbot" come from?
It first appears, though, only in the 16th century, in a manuscript of the Latin orator Cicero. An anonymous monk was reading through the monastery copy of De Officiis (a guide to moral conduct) when he felt compelled to express his anger at his abbot. “O d fuckin Abbot,” he scrawled in the margin of the text.
Why are the words "swive" and "fuck" censored?
It is unclear whether the words are censored because swive and fuck are thought to be obscene, worse in themselves than the other words in the poem, or because the sexual sins of which the author accuses the monks are so horrible they cannot be stated outright.
Who wrote the line "He embraced tight, he kissed and groped, As if?
The Scots poet William Dunbar, himself a former Franciscan friar, penned these lines (translated here into modern English) sometime before his death, in 1513: He embraced tight, he kissed and groped, As if he were overcome with desire. Yet it seemed from his behavior he would have fucked [fukkit].
Is "fottere" a swear word?
etc.” and fottitore the male equivalent. But while the f-word was common in the period, it was not a swearword. It was simply a direct and increasingly impolite word for sexual intercourse.
Where does the f-slur come from?
Do you know what the field of etymology is? It's the study of the origins of words and how they've changed over time. And, dear reader, you're about to get an etymology lesson.
Reclaiming the f-slur
In 2009, Erin Davies experienced her own form of intolerance. Because she displayed a Pride flag on her car, someone (or someones) decided to spraypaint "fag” and "U R Gay" on her vehicle.
What does the F word mean?
These words are defined "to hit", or "to strike". The etymology eventually tracks back to the Latin root Pugnus ;
What does "hit" mean in Latin?
These words are defined "to hit", or "to strike". The etymology eventually tracks back to the Latin root Pugnus ; the same word that takes us to fighting, punching and fist. So when we use the modern form we're using a word which encapsulates both sex and violence. To make love AND to strike.
Why do acronymic explanations catch our fancy?
Acronymic explanations catch our fancy due to the “hidden knowledge” factor. Most of us feel a bit of a glow when we think we’re in possession of information others aren’t privy to, and when a titillating or apt story is thrown in behind the trivia, these things just take off. “ Tips ” does not come from “To insure prompt service,” yet that canard is widely believed. Likewise, “ golf ” didn’t spring to life out of “Gentlemen only; ladies forbidden,” and “posh” did not take its place in our vocabulary from a shortening of “Port out; starboard home.”
When was the word "John le Fucker" invented?
John Ayto, in his Dictionary of Word Origins cites a proper name (probably a joke or parody name) of ‘John le Fucker’ from 1250, quite possibly proof the word we casually toss about today was being similarly tossed about 750 years ago.
Is "fuck" an acronym?
Though a few common English words have grown out of acronyms (words created by taking the first letter (s) of major words in a phrase), ‘fuck’ isn’t one of them. With precious few exceptions, words of acronymic origin date from the 20th century and no earlier. It’s almost guaranteed, therefore, any word from before the time of automobiles did not spring to life from a series of initials becoming so common that folks began pronouncing it as its own word.
When did Fahrenheit start his temperature scale?
Fahrenheit proposed his temperature scale in 1724, basing it on two reference points of temperature. In his initial scale (which is not the final Fahrenheit scale), the zero point was determined by placing the thermometer in "a mixture of ice, water, and salis Armoniaci [transl. ammonium chloride] or even sea salt".
Where is Fahrenheit used?
Fahrenheit is used in the United States, its territories and associated states (all served by the U.S. National Weather Service ), as well as the Cayman Islands and Liberia for everyday applications. For example, U.S. weather forecasts, food cooking, and freezing temperatures are typically given in degrees Fahrenheit.
How did Fahrenheit scale work?
In Rømer's scale, brine freezes at zero, water freezes and melts at 7.5 degrees, body temperature is 22.5, and water boils at 60 degrees. Fahrenheit multiplied each value by four in order to eliminate fractions and make the scale more fine-grained. He then re-calibrated his scale using the melting point of ice and normal human body temperature (which were at 30 and 90 degrees); he adjusted the scale so that the melting point of ice would be 32 degrees and body temperature 96 degrees, so that 64 intervals would separate the two , allowing him to mark degree lines on his instruments by simply bisect ing the interval six times (since 64 is 2 to the sixth power).
What is Fahrenheit scale?
The Fahrenheit scale ( / ˈfærənhaɪt / or / ˈfɑːrənhaɪt /) is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accounts of how he originally defined his scale exist, but the original paper suggests the lower defining point, 0 °F, ...
What was Fahrenheit's lowest temperature?
According to a German story, Fahrenheit actually chose the lowest air temperature measured in his hometown Danzig (Gdańsk, Poland) in winter 1708/09 as 0 °F, and only later had the need to be able to make this value reproducible using brine.
Which countries use degrees Fahrenheit?
A handful of British Overseas Territories still use both scales, including the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Anguilla, and Bermuda. In the United Kingdom, degrees Fahrenheit figures are sometimes used in newspapers headlines to sensationalize heatwaves.
Is Fahrenheit used in the UK?
While historically popular, Fahrenheit is not commonly used in the United Kingdom in daily conversation. Within unregulated sectors, such as journalism, the use of Fahrenheit in the United Kingdom follows no fixed pattern with degrees Fahrenheit sometimes appearing alongside degrees Celsius. The Daily Telegraph does not mention Fahrenheit on its daily weather page while The Times also has an all-metric daily weather page but has a Celsius-to-Fahrenheit conversion table. When publishing news stories, some UK tabloids have adopted a tendency of using degrees Celsius in headlines and discussion relating to low temperatures and Fahrenheit for mid to high temperatures. [ discuss] In February 2006, the writer of an article in The Times suggested that the rationale was one of emphasis: "−6 °C" sounds colder than "21 °F" and "94 °F" sounds more impressive than "34 °C".
Where does the word "fuk" come from?
This points to a possible etymology where Common Germanic fuk- comes from an Indo-European root meaning 'to strike', cognate with non-Germanic words such as Latin pugno ('I fight') or pugnus ('fist'). By application of Grimm's law, this hypothetical root has the form * pug–.
When was the word "fuck" first used?
According to director Robert Altman, the first time the word fuck was used in a major American studio film was in 1970's M*A*S*H, spoken by Painless during the football match at the end of the film.
What does "fuck" mean in the English language?
A protester's sign with the word fucking used for emphasis. Fuck is a profane English-language word. It often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disda in.
Why is the word "fuck" so hard to trace?
One reason that the word fuck is so hard to trace etymologically is that it was used far more extensively in common speech than in easily traceable written forms. There are multiple urban legends that advance false etymologies declaring the word to be an acronym.
Who printed the "F*** them"?
Hansard, the full record of debates, printed "F*** them", but even this euphemism was deprecated by the Speaker, George Thomas. During the George W. Bush presidency, a vehicular bumper sticker with the words Buck Fush (a spoonerism of "Fuck Bush") gained some popularity in the US.
Is "fuck" a verb?
Grammar. Fuck has a very flexible role in English grammar, including use as both a transitive and intransitive verb, and as an adjective, adverb, and noun. It can also be used as an interjection and a grammatical ejaculation.
Where did the word "golf" come from?
It is now generally accepted that the 'golf' is derived from an old word meaning 'club', though this in turn may have older cognate roots dating back to ancient times. The first documented mention of the word 'golf' is in Edinburgh on 6th March 1457, when King James II banned 'ye golf', in an attempt to encourage archery practice, ...
What is the most common word for golf?
The first documented reference is spelt 'golf', but most people believe the old word 'gowfe' was the most common term, pronounced 'gouf'. Certainly, the word 'gouf' is found extensively in written texts, long after 'golf' was the acknowledged game.
What words were written in Scotland before dictionaries?
People wrote phonetically. Goff, gowf, golf, goif, goiff, gof, gowfe, gouff and golve have all been found in Scottish documents.
What does "colf" mean in golf?
Golf, colf, kolf and chole are all presumed to have originally meant 'club' and are associated with the Middle High German word for club, 'kolbe', (Der Kolben), and the Dutch word 'kolven' for the game of modern kolf. The history in the Rules of Thistle Golf Club documented this origin as far back as 1824. It is important to note that the word ...
Who was the first person to use the word "Baculus" in golf?
In 1636, David Wedderburn, a Latin master in Aberdeen, used the word 'Baculus', which is Latin for 'club' as the title for his 'Vocabula', listing Latin terms for golf, which supports this derivation. The Vocabula gives us the first unambiguous mention of the golf hole in Scotland.
When was golf invented?
On balance, however, it more likely that the 'golf' examples date to 1460 and the full details are discussed here.
