Etymologically
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cunt

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.

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