cunt

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kʌnt/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English cunte,^[2][3] of Germanic origin,^[4][5] akin to Old Norse kunta, Old Frisian kunte, Middle Dutch conte and Middle Low German kunte,^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *kunton, which is of uncertain origin.^[2] Proposed links include Latin cuneus (“wedge”) and roots meaning a hollow place or woman.^[2] The word is similar to Latin cunnus, itself of disputed origin.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The female genitals: the first known use is in an Oxford street name, Gropecuntlane, from about 1230,^[2] and the OED's first quotation is also from about 1230.^[6] It appears in Hendyng's Proverbs in the early 14th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Originally a frankly descriptive word in Middle English,^[5] it has been taboo since the 15th century;^[7] Grose (1788) printed it as ‘C--t’.^[7] As a term of vulgar abuse for a person, especially a woman, it is from 1929 in the OED,^[6] and Etymonline dates the sense of a stupid or contemptible person to about 1920, probably adopted from French con by soldiers in the First World War.^[2] In some British and Irish dialects it is now used almost as a bantering term, while in American use it is perceived as an intense slur against women.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1230 – Gropecuntlane, Oxford.^[2][6]
• early 14th century – in Hendyng's Proverbs.^[2]
• 15th century – taboo.^[7]
• c. 1920 – a contemptible person.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (taboo) The female genitals.
2. (offensive) A woman considered sexually.
3. (taboo, derogatory) A mean, obnoxious or contemptible person.

Related words

• cunnilingus
• quaint

Usage notes

Collins notes that despite some relaxation of taboos, the word is still unacceptable to most people outside very limited contexts,^[5] and the New Partridge calls it the most heavily tabooed word in English.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
8. ^ Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge