129-466: Fuck is an English-language profanity that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse , but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475. In modern usage, the term fuck and its derivatives (such as fucker and fucking ) are used as a noun , a verb , an adjective , an interjection or an adverb . There are many common phrases that employ
258-407: A cryptid —for instance, Bigfoot or Mothman , legendary creatures for which evidence is lacking but which have legions of believers. Research shows that people experiencing sudden or surprising events (such as a Bigfoot sighting) may significantly overestimate the duration of the event. Companies have been accused of hiding "secret messages" behind their logos or packaging, as in the case of
387-463: A friend of a friend ), which serves to personalize, authenticate and enhance the power of the narrative while distancing the teller from the tall tale . Many urban legends depict horrific crimes, contaminated foods, or other situations that would potentially affect many people. Anyone believing such stories might feel compelled to warn loved ones. On occasion, news organizations, school officials and even police departments have issued warnings concerning
516-470: A minced oath like "flip". Profanity may be described as offensive language, dirty words, or taboo words, among other descriptors. The term profane originates from classical Latin profanus , literally ' before (outside) the temple ' , pro meaning ' outside ' and fanum meaning ' temple, sanctuary ' . This further developed in Middle English with the meaning to desecrate
645-436: A transitive and intransitive verb , and as an adjective , adverb , noun , and interjection . Although the word itself is used in its literal sense to refer to sexual intercourse, its most common usage is figurative—to indicate the speaker's strong sentiment and to offend or shock the listener. Linguist Geoffrey Hughes found eight distinct usages for English curse words, and fuck can apply to each. For example, it fits in
774-429: A "dirty fucker" and a "fucking rotter". The word began to break into cinema when it was uttered once in the film Vapor (1963) and in two Andy Warhol films – Poor Little Rich Girl (1965) and My Hustler (1965), and later in each of two 1967 British releases, Ulysses and I'll Never Forget What's'isname . It was used several times in the 1969 British film Bronco Bullfrog . According to director Robert Altman ,
903-466: A bloody miracle , or as an adverb, such as in they drove damn fast . One type of adverbial profanity is to use it as a modal adverb , such as in no you fucking can't . Compound words can be created to create a new modifier, such as pisspoor . Many European languages use profanity to add emphasis to question words in the form of who the hell are you? or with a preposition in the form of what in God's name
1032-456: A case of using the name of one group to demean another, Hun came to be associated with a brutish caricature of Germans, first during the Renaissance and again during World War I . Some terms for people of low class or status can become generically profane or derogatory. English examples include villain , lewd , and scum . Profanity is used to indicate the speaker's emotional state, and
1161-435: A comedic effect. Profanity often presents as formulaic language , in which specific words can only be used in specific phrases, often developed through grammaticalization . Many of these phrases allow words to be swapped, presenting variations on a phrase like what in the bloody heck , why in the flamin' hell , and how in the fuckin' hell . Profane phrases can be used as anaphoric pronouns , such as replacing him with
1290-441: A curse. Other mentions of God were seen as placing oneself over him, with the person uttering a name implying power over the name's owner. Modern study of profanity as its own subject of inquiry had started by 1901. Sigmund Freud influenced study of the topic by positing that swearing reflects the subconscious, including feelings of aggression, antisocial inclinations , and the broaching of taboos. Significant activity began in
1419-427: A friend told me", the friend being identified by first name only or not identified at all. Such legends seem to be believable and even provocative, as some readers are led in turn to pass them on, including on social media platforms that instantly reach millions worldwide. Many are essentially extended jokes , told as if they were true events. Persistent urban legends do often maintain a degree of plausibility, as in
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#17329385402511548-502: A given context. Those still learning a language, such as children and non-native speakers, are more likely to use profane language without realizing that it is profane. Acceptable environments for profanity are learned in childhood as children find themselves chastised for swearing in some places more than others. Swearing is often milder among young children, and they place more stigma on terms that are not seen as profane by adults, like fart or dork . Young children are more likely to use
1677-802: A jacket with the slogan "Fuck the Draft" (in a reference to conscription in the Vietnam War ). The conviction was upheld by the court of appeals and overturned by the Supreme Court in Cohen v. California . In conversation or writing, reference to or use of the word fuck may be replaced by any of many alternative words or phrases, including the F-word or the F-bomb (a play on A-bomb and H-bomb ), or simply, eff or f (as in What
1806-467: A local or magistrates court. Police also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to alleged offenders. It is a defence in some Australian jurisdictions to have "a reasonable excuse" to conduct oneself in the manner alleged. In Brazil, the Penal Code does not contain any penalties for profanity in public immediately. However, direct offenses against one can be considered a crime against honor , with
1935-505: A long-running column in The Sunday Times . These include the story that Orson Welles began work on a Batman movie in the 1940s, which was to feature James Cagney as the Riddler and Marlene Dietrich as Catwoman ; the persistent rumour that the rock singer Courtney Love is the granddaughter of Marlon Brando ; and the idea that a famous 1970s poster of Farrah Fawcett contains
2064-475: A penalty of imprisonment of one to three months or a fine. The analysis of the offence is considered "subjective", depending on the context of the discussion and the relationship between the parts. Section 175 of Canada's Criminal Code makes it a criminal offence to "cause a disturbance in or near a public place" by "swearing […] or using insulting or obscene language". Provinces and municipalities may also have their laws against swearing in public. For instance,
2193-918: A person as one who masturbates are often used as terms of abuse, such as the English use of jerk-off and wanker . Terms for sexually promiscuous women can be used as profanity, such English terms like hussy and slut . Reference to prostitution brings its own set of profanities. Many profane words exist to refer to a prostitute, such as whore in English, putain in French, puttana in Italian, kurwa in Polish, блять ( blyat' ) in Russian, and puta in Spanish. Some languages, including German and Swedish, do not see significant use of sexual terms as profanity. Profanities for
2322-583: A plague on others. The names of various diseases are used as profane words in some languages; Pokkers ( transl. pox ) appears in both Danish and Norwegian as an exclamation and an intensifier. Death is another common theme in Asian languages such as Cantonese . Terminology of mental illness has become more prominent as profanity in the Western world, with terms such as idiot and retard challenging one's mental competency. Profane phrases directed at
2451-513: 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'). By application of Grimm's law , this hypothetical root also has the Pre-Germanic form * pug-néh 2 - ('to blow'), which is the etymon of, amongst others, Dutch fok(zeil) ('foresail'). There
2580-478: A profane term can vary between dialects within the same language. Publishers of dictionaries must take profanity into consideration when deciding what words to include, especially when they are subject to obscenity laws. They may be wary of appearing to endorse the use of profane language by its inclusion. Slang dictionaries have historically been used to cover profanity in lieu of more formal dictionaries. In some cultures, there are situations where profanity
2709-501: A psychological and neurological subject. Besides interpersonal communication, understanding of profanity has legal implications and related to theories of language learning. In modern European languages, swearing developed from early Christianity, primarily through restrictions on taking God's name in vain in the Old Testament . Invocations of God were seen as attempts to call upon his power, willing something to be true or leveling
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#17329385402512838-475: A set of taboo words, the very utterance of which constitutes an affront, and any use of the word, regardless of its form (verb, adjective, adverb, etc.) or meaning (literal or metaphorical) evokes the core sexual meanings and associated sexual imagery that motivate the taboo."; and "users", for whom "metaphorical uses of the word fuck no more evoke images of sexual intercourse than a ten-year-old's 'My mom'll kill me if she finds out' evokes images of murder," so that
2967-484: A social environment as informal, and mark the speaker as part of an in-group . The way speakers use profanity in social settings allows them to project their identity and personality through communication style, and in some circumstances it can be used as a method used to impress one's peers. Stylistic swearing is used to add emphasis or intensity to speech, which can be used to emphasize an idea in an aggressive or authoritative fashion, make an idea memorable, or produce
3096-469: A specific demographic. These are used to project xenophobia and prejudice , often through the use of stereotypes . They typically develop in times of increased contact of conflict between different races or ethnic groups, including times of war between two or more nations. Terms for minority groups are sometimes used as swears. This can apply to both profane terms such as kike or non-profane terms such as gay . Many of these are culture-specific. In
3225-433: A state of mind, making them dependent almost entirely on connotation and emotional associations with the word, as opposed to literal denotation . The connotative function of profanity allows the denotative meaning to shift more easily, causing the word to shift until its meaning is unrelated to its origin or to lose meaning and impact altogether. Literal meanings in modern profanity typically relate to religion, sex, or
3354-439: A subliminal sexual message concealed in the actress's hair. As with traditional urban legends, many internet rumors are about crimes or crime waves – either fictional or based on real events that have been largely exaggerated. Such stories can be problematic, both because they purport to be relevant modern news and because they do not follow the typical patterns of urban legends. Some legends are medical folklore , such as
3483-404: A swear. The Cockney dialect of English uses rhyming slang to alter terms, including profanity; titty is rhymed as Bristol city , which is then abbreviated as bristols . Speakers and authors may engage in self-censorship under legal or social pressure. In the 21st century, censorship through social pressure is associated with political correctness in Western society. This has led to
3612-496: A temple . In English, swearing is a catch-all linguistic term for the use of profanities, even if it does not involve taking an oath . The only other languages that use the same term for both profanities and oaths are French ( jurer ), Canadian French ( sacrer ), and Swedish ( svära ). English uses cursing in a similar manner to swearing , especially in the United States. Cursing originally referred specifically to
3741-440: A term of abuse for a dishonest person in a criminal setting. Profanity is often associated with lower class professions like soldiers and carters . Expectancy violations theory holds that expectations about a speaker's behavior come from impressions based not only on the speaker's identity, but how the specific speaker typically communicates and the socially expected way to speak to a given listener. Swearing in formal contexts
3870-749: A term of abuse with klotzaak . Words for the buttocks are used as a term of disapproval in many languages, including English ( ass or arse ), French ( cul ), Polish ( dupa ), Russian ( жопа , zhopa ), and Spanish ( culo ). Similar words for the anus appear in languages like Danish ( røvhul ), English ( asshole or arsehole ), German ( Arschloch ), Icelandic ( rassgat ), Norwegian ( rasshøl ), and Polish ( dupek ). Excrement and related concepts are commonly invoked in profanity. European examples include shit in English, merde in French, scheiss in German, and stronzo in Italian. Illness has historically been used to swear by wishing
3999-566: A typical urban legend is its elements of mystery, horror , fear, or humor. Often they serve as cautionary tales . Some urban legends are morality tales that depict someone acting in a disagreeable manner, only to wind up in trouble, hurt, or dead. Urban legends will often try to invoke a feeling of disgust in the reader which tends to make these stories more memorable and potent. Elements of shock value can be found in almost every form of urban legend and are partially what makes these tales so impactful. An urban legend may include elements of
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4128-424: A vulgar word can constitute a swear word. Conversely, words with greater connotative senses are not always used profanely. Bastard and son of a bitch are more readily used as general terms of abuse in English compared to terrorist and rapist , despite the latter two being terms being associated with strongly immoral behavior. Some profane phrases are used metaphorically in a way that still retains elements of
4257-476: A way to make sense of societal anxieties. In the past, urban legends were most often circulated orally, at gatherings and around the campfire for instance. Now, they can be spread by any media, including newspapers, mobile news apps, e-mail , and most often, social media . Some urban legends have passed through the years/decades with only minor changes, in where the time period takes place. Generic urban legends are often altered to suit regional variations, but
4386-406: Is a greater violation of expectations than swearing in informal conversation. Whether the profanity is spoken in public or private is also a factor in social acceptability. Conversations that involve profanity are correlated with other informal manners of speech, such as slang, humor, and discussion of sexuality. Native speakers of a language can intuitively decide what language is appropriate for
4515-460: Is a theory that fuck is most likely derived from German or Dutch roots, and is probably not derived from an Old English root. One reason that the word fuck is difficult to trace etymologically is that it was used far more extensively in common speech, rather than in easily traceable documents or writings. There exist multiple urban legends that advance false etymologies , including the word allegedly being an acronym . One of these urban legends
4644-410: Is also used as a more general expletive or intensifier. Insertion of the trochaic word fucking can also be used as an exercise for diagnosing the cadence of an English-language word. This is the use of fuck or more specifically fucking as an infix , or more properly, a tmesis (see expletive infixation ). For example, the word in-fucking-credible sounds acceptable to the English ear, and
4773-451: Is another form of euphemism, with English examples including the replacement of fuck with the f-word or effing and the use of " four-letter words " to refer to profanity in general. Chinese and some Southeast Asian languages use puns and sound-alikes to create alternate swear words. The Chinese word for bird, niao , rhymes with the Chinese word for penis and is frequently invoked as
4902-536: Is associated with neurological conditions such as Tourette syndrome , dementia , and epilepsy . The ability to use profanity can remain intact even when neurological trauma causes aphasia . Frequent swearing is more common among people with damage to the brain or other parts of the nervous system . Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex can negatively affect one's ability to control their use of profanity and other socially inappropriate behaviors. Damage to Broca's area and other language-processing regions of
5031-498: Is associated with the right hemisphere . Swearing is associated with both language-processing parts of the brain, the left frontal and temporal lobes, as well as the emotion-processing parts, the right cerebrum and the amygdala . The association of emotional swearing with the amygdala and other parts of the limbic system suggests that some uses of profanity are related to the fight-or-flight response . Profanity requires more mental processing than other forms of language, and
5160-439: Is characteristic of groups within which a given narrative circulates to vehemently reject claims or demonstrations of non-factuality; an example would be the expressions of outrage by police officers who are told that adulteration of Halloween treats by strangers (the subject of periodic moral panics ) occurs extremely rarely, if at all. The Internet has made it easier both to spread and to debunk urban legends. For instance,
5289-682: Is considered acceptable, including its presence in the home and children's access to broadcasts. Profanity may be avoided when discussing taboo subjects through euphemisms . Euphemisms were historically used to avoid invoking the names of malevolent beings. Euphemisms are commonly expressed as metaphors, such as make love or sleep with as descriptors of sexual intercourse. Euphemisms can be alternate descriptors such as white meat instead of breast meat , or they may be generic terms such as unmentionables . Minced oaths are euphemisms that modify swear words until they are no longer profane, such as darn instead of damn in English. Substitution
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5418-445: Is considered impolite (a violation of social norms ), and in some religious groups it is considered a sin . Profanity includes slurs , but most profanities are not slurs, and there are many insults that do not use swear words. Swear words can be discussed or even sometimes used for the same purpose without causing offense or being considered impolite if they are obscured (e.g. "fuck" becomes "f***" or "the f-word") or substituted with
5547-442: Is disagreement as to whether freedom of speech should permit all forms of profane speech, including hate speech, or if such forms of speech can be justifiably restricted. Censorship is used to restrict or penalize profanity, and governments may implement laws that disallow certain acts of profanity, including legal limitations on the broadcast of profanity over radio or television. Broadcasting has unique considerations as to what
5676-407: Is done involuntarily as an emotional response to excitement or displeasure. Frequent swearing can become a habit, even if the speaker does not have a specific intention of being profane. Profanity is often used as a slot filler, which functions as a modifier , and modifying a noun with a swear is commonly used to indicate dislike. A profane word can modify words as an adjective, such as in it's
5805-549: Is especially common in Arabic. Self-immolating oaths, such as I'll be damned , involve speakers casting harm upon themselves. These are often invoked as conditional statements based on whether something is true— I'll be damned if... Profanity directed at an individual can take the form of an unfriendly suggestion. English examples include go to hell and kiss my ass . Some profanities, such as your mother ! , imply taboos or swear words without using them explicitly. Whether speech
5934-479: Is fucking awesome! Fuck has colloquial usage as a verb , adverb , adjective , conjunction , interjection , noun , and pronoun . The word fuck is a component of many acronyms, some of which—like SNAFU (Situation Normal: All Fucked Up) and FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition)—date as far back as World War II . MILF (Mother I'd Like to Fuck) and variations of the first letter are widely seen in pornographic contexts. Many more recent coinages, such as
6063-407: Is good etiquette. A tradition exists in some parts of China that a bride was expected to speak profanely to her groom's family in the days before the wedding, and one Aboriginal Australian culture uses profanity to denote class. The idea of censoring taboo ideas exists in all cultures. Swearing inappropriately can be punished socially, and public swearing can bring about legal consequences. There
6192-428: Is in fairly common use, while * incred-fucking-ible would sound very clumsy (though, depending on the context, this might be perceived as a humorous improvisation of the word). Abso-fucking-lutely and motherfucking are also common uses of fuck as an affix . While neither dysphemistic nor connected to the sexual connotations of the word, even the vacuous usages are considered offensive and gratuitous, such as This
6321-508: Is most common in Russian. Though profanity exists in nearly all cultures, there is variation in when it is used and how it affects the meaning of speech. Each language has unique profane phrases influenced by culture. Japanese is sometimes described as having no swear words, though it has a concept of warui kotoba ( transl. bad words ) that are not based on taboos but are otherwise functionally equivalent to swears. One linguistic theory proposes that sound symbolism influences
6450-471: Is no widely accepted typology and terms are used interchangeably. Blasphemy and obscenity are used similarly to profanity , though blasphemy has retained its religious connotation. Expletive is another English term for the use of profanity, derived from its original meaning of adding words to change a sentence's length without changing its meaning. The use of expletive sometimes refers specifically to profanity as an interjection . Epithet
6579-492: Is not supported by written evidence, and has been proven false, but has persisted in oral and literary traditions for many years. Another legendary etymology, first made popular by the American radio show Car Talk , says that the phrase fuck you derives from pluck yew in connection with a misconception regarding the origins of the V sign . This misconception states that English archers believed that those who were captured by
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#17329385402516708-448: Is often seen as more socially acceptable when coming from men, and it is commonly associated with machismo . Profanity varies in how it affects a speaker's credibility. It can be seen as unprofessional in some circumstances, but it can make an argument more persuasive in others. Milder words can become more impactful in different circumstances; cheat may be more provocative in schools or gambling clubs, and informer replaces crook as
6837-494: Is profane depends on context, because what is taboo or impolite in one environment might not be in another. Swear words vary in their intensity, and speakers of a language might disagree that weaker swear words are actually profane. Isolated profanities are often seen as more profane than those used in context. The identity of the speaker affects how profanity is seen, as different cultures may hold classes, sexes, age groups, and other identities to different standards. Profanity
6966-591: Is sometimes made between religious profanity, which is casual, versus blasphemy, which is intentionally leveled against a religious concept. It was commonly believed among early civilizations that speaking about certain things can invoke them or bring about curses. Many cultures have taboos about speaking the names of evil creatures such as Satan because of these historical fears. Religions commonly develop derogatory words for those who are not among their members. Medieval Christianity developed terms like heathen and infidel to describe outsiders. Secularization in
7095-524: Is that the word fuck originated in Irish law. If a couple was caught committing adultery , the two would be punished "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge In the Nude", with " FUCKIN" written on the stocks above to denote the crime. A variant of this legend alleges church clerks to have recorded the crime of "Forbidden Use of Carnal Knowledge". Another legend places the origin on a royal permission allegedly granted during
7224-595: Is that? . Modifier profanities are frequently used as an expletive attributive , or intensifiers that put emphasis on specific ideas. These commonly take the form of interjections to express strong emotion, such as the English examples bloody hell and for fuck's sake . Such stand-alone profanities are among the most common in natural speech. Expletive infixation is the use of a profane word as an intensifier inside of another word, such as modifying absolutely to become abso-fucking-lutely . Some languages use swear words that can generically replace nouns and verbs. This
7353-405: Is the way to have sex", says Booth. An earlier name, that of John le Fucker recorded in 1278, has been the subject of debate, but is thought by many philologists to have had some separate and non-sexual origin. Otherwise, the usually accepted first known occurrence of the word is found in code in a poem in a mixture of Latin and English composed in the 15th century. The poem, which satirizes
7482-666: Is used to describe profanities directed at a specific person. Some languages do not have a general term for the use of profanities, instead describing it with the phrase "using bad language". These include Mandarin ( zang hua ), Portuguese ( palavrao ), Spanish ( decir palabrotas ), and Turkish ( küfur etmek ). Historical profanity is difficult to reconstruct, as written records may not reflect spoken language. Despite being relatively well known compared to other linguistic mechanisms, profanity has historically been understudied because of its taboo nature. Profanity may be studied as an aspect of linguistics and sociology, or it can be
7611-564: Is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass". It was censored on television as "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps." Still, in 1971, the US Supreme Court decided that the public display of fuck is protected under the First and Fourteenth amendments and cannot be made a criminal offense. In 1968, Paul Robert Cohen had been convicted of disturbing the peace for wearing
7740-468: The Carmelite friars of Cambridge , England, takes its title, " Flen flyys ", from the first words of its opening line, Flen, flyys, and freris ('Fleas, flies, and friars'). The line that contains fuck reads Non sunt in coeli, quia gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk . Deciphering the phrase gxddbou xxkxzt pg ifmk , here by replacing each letter by the previous letter in alphabetical order , as the English alphabet
7869-544: The English-speaking world . Some English-speaking countries censor it on television and radio. Andrea Millwood Hargrave's 2000 study of the attitudes of the British public found that fuck was considered the third-most-severe profanity, and its derivative motherfucker second. Cunt was considered the most severe. Nevertheless, the word has increasingly become less of a pejorative and more publicly acceptable, an example of
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#17329385402517998-582: The Gospel of Matthew implies condemnation of all swearing, though only the Quakers have imposed such a ban. Islam , Judaism , and Brahmanism forbid mention of God's name entirely. In some countries, profanity words often have pagan roots that after Christian influence were turned from names of deities and spirits to profanity and used as such, like perkele in Finnish, which was believed to be an original name of
8127-531: The Middle Ages . Due to the Black Death and the consequent scarcity of resources, villages and towns supposedly attempted to control population growth by requiring permission to engage in intercourse. Royal permission (usually from a local magistrate or lord) is said to have required placing a sign visible from the road reading: " Fornicating /Fornication Under Consent of King", later shortened to FUCK . This story
8256-452: The Middle English of this poem, the term wife was still used generically for 'woman'. William Dunbar 's 1503 poem "Brash of Wowing" includes the lines: "Yit be his feiris he wald haue fukkit: / Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane" (ll. 13–14). The oldest known occurrence of the word in adjectival form (which implies use of the verb) in English comes from the margins of a 1528 manuscript copy of Cicero 's De Officiis . A monk had scrawled in
8385-577: The Slender Man , have gained a following of people that do believe in them . Television shows such as Urban Legends , Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction , and later Mostly True Stories: Urban Legends Revealed , feature re-enactments of urban legends, detailing the accounts of the tales and (typically later in an episode) revealing any factual basis they may have. The Discovery Channel TV show MythBusters (2003–2016) tried to prove or disprove several urban legends by attempting to reproduce them using
8514-535: The Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban and several other websites, most notably snopes.com , focus on discussing, tracking, and analyzing urban legends. The United States Department of Energy had a now-discontinued service called Hoaxbusters that dealt with computer-distributed hoaxes and legends. The most notable such hoaxes are known as creepypastas , which are typically horror stories written anonymously. Although most are regarded as obviously false, some, such as
8643-652: The Western world has seen exclamations such as God! divorced from their religious connotations. Religious profanity is not inherent to all languages, being absent from Japanese, indigenous languages of the Americas , and most Polynesian languages . European languages historically used the crucifixion of Jesus as a focal point for profane interjections. Phrases meaning "death of God" were used in languages like English (' Sdeath ), French ( Mort de Dieu ), and Swedish ( Guds död ) Christian profanity encompasses both appeals to
8772-444: The scientific method . The 1998 film Urban Legend featured students discussing popular urban legends while at the same time falling victim to killings re-enacting them. The 1999 film The Blair Witch Project purposefully positioned itself as an urban legend to gain viral hype and succeeded in fooling many that it was based on a real disappearance. The lack of widespread social media and search engines helped it proliferate in
8901-475: The supernatural or paranormal . As Jan Brunvand points out, antecedent legends including some of the motifs, themes and symbolism of the urtexts can readily be identified. Cases that may have been at least partially inspired by real events include "The Death Car" (traced by Richard Dorson to Michigan , United States ); "the Solid Cement Cadillac" and the possible origin of " The Hook " in
9030-504: The " dysphemism treadmill " or semantic drift known as melioration, wherein former pejoratives become inoffensive and commonplace. Because of its increasing usage in the public forum, in 2005 the word was included for the first time as one of three vulgarities in The Canadian Press 's Canadian Press Caps and Spelling guide. Journalists were advised to refrain from censoring the word but use it sparingly and only when its inclusion
9159-756: The "criteria of taboo are missing." The Oxford English Dictionary states that the ultimate etymology is uncertain, but that the word is "probably cognate" with a number of Germanic words with meanings involving striking, rubbing and having sex or is derivative of the Old French word that meant 'to have sex'. The word has probable cognates in other Germanic languages, such as German ficken ('to fuck'); Dutch fokken ('to breed', 'to beget'); Afrikaans fok ('to fuck'); Icelandic fokka ('to mess around', 'to rush'); dialectal Norwegian fukka ('to copulate'); and dialectal Swedish focka ('to strike', 'to copulate') and fock (' penis '). This points to
9288-523: The "curse" sense ( fuck you! ), as well as the "personal" sense ( You fucker ). In the Oxford English Dictionary , more than a hundred different senses, usages and collocations (like fuck around, fuck with s.o., fuck you, fuck me, fuck it ) are identified for fuck, its derived forms (like fucker, fuckee, fuckability ), and compounds with fuck (e.g. fuckfest, fuckhole, fuckface ). In 2015, Dr. Paul Booth argued he had found "(possibly)
9417-567: The 1946 series of Lovers' Lane murders in Texarkana, Texas , United States. The urban legend that Coca-Cola developed the drink Fanta to sell in Nazi Germany without public backlash originated as the actual tale of German Max Keith , who invented the drink and ran Coca-Cola's operations in Germany during World War II . The narrator of an urban legend may claim it happened to a friend (or to
9546-487: The 1960s with writings on the subject by Ashley Montagu and Edward Sagarin , followed by increased study the following decade. Specific types of discriminatory profanity, such as ethnophaulism and homophobia, came to be described as part of a broader type of profanity, hate speech , toward the end of the 20th century. Another increase in the study of profanity took place with the onset of the 21st century. Profanities have literal meanings, but they are invoked to indicate
9675-430: The English word bloody when used in its profane sense. Not all taboo words are used in swearing, with many only being used in a literal sense. Clinical or academic terminology for bodily functions and sexual activity are distinct from profanity. This includes words such as excrement and copulate in English, which are not typically invoked as swears. Academics who study profanity disagree on whether literal use of
9804-419: The French had their index and middle fingers cut off so that they could no longer operate their longbows , and that the V sign was used by uncaptured and victorious archers in a display of defiance against the French. The addition of the phrase fuck you to the misconception came when it was claimed that the English yelled that they could still pluck yew , ( yew wood being the preferred material for longbows at
9933-406: The Italian porco dio ( transl. pig of a God ). Animal-related profanity is distinct from other forms in that it is used similarly across different languages. Terms for dogs are among the most common animal swears across languages, alongside those for cows, donkeys, and pigs. Swear words related to monkeys are common in Arabic and East Asian cultures. Slurs are words that target
10062-785: The Municipal Code of Toronto bars "profane or abusive language" in public parks. In June 2016, a man in Halifax, Nova Scotia , was arrested for using profane language at a protest against Bill C-51 . Urban legends Urban legends (sometimes modern legend , urban myth , or simply legend ) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be entertaining but often concern mysterious peril or troubling events, such as disappearances and strange objects or entities. Urban legends may confirm moral standards, reflect prejudices, or be
10191-476: The bastard in tell the bastard to mind his own business . They can similarly be used to support a noun instead of replacing it, such as in John is a boring son of a bitch . Though profanity is usually associated with taboo words, obscene non-verbal acts such as hand gestures may be considered profane. Spitting in someone's direction has historically been seen as a strong insult. Exposure of certain body parts, often
10320-537: The beer. The company argued that it was actually named after the Austrian village of Fucking (now spelled Fugging ) and the German term for light beer, hell (which is simply the word for "light-coloured"). Iancu v. Brunetti is a United States Supreme Court case in which the owner of the clothing brand FUCT (supposedly standing for "Friends U Can't Trust") sued the Patent and Trademark Office , which refused to trademark
10449-401: The brain can similarly make people prone to outbursts. Damage to the right hemisphere limits the ability to understand and regulate the emotional content of one's speech. In every Australian state and territory it is a crime to use offensive, indecent or insulting language in or near a public place. These offences are classed as summary offences . This means that they are usually tried before
10578-405: The claim that eating watermelon seeds will result in a watermelon growing in the stomach , or that going outdoors just after showering will result in catching a cold. Many old wives' tales have grown around the identification of ailments, real and imagined, and the recommended remedies, rituals, and home-grown medical treatments to treat them. Internet urban legends are those spread through
10707-772: The degree that establishing non-factuality warrants the assumption that there must be some other reason why the tales are told, re-told and believed. As in the case of myth , the narratives are believed because they construct and reinforce the worldview of the group within which they are told, or "because they provide us with coherent and convincing explanations of complex events". Social scientists have started to draw on urban legends in order to help explain complex socio-psychological beliefs, such as attitudes to crime, childcare, fast food, SUVs and other "family" choices. The authors make an explicit connection between urban legends and popular folklore, such as Grimm's Fairy Tales , where similar themes and motifs arise. For that reason, it
10836-1048: The divine, such as God or heaven, and to the diabolic, such as the Devil or hell. While the impact of religious swearing has declined in the Christian world, diabolic swearing remains profane in Germany and the Nordic countries . Islamic profanity lacks a diabolic element, referring only to divine concepts like Muhammad or holy places. Words related to Catholicism, known as sacres , are used in Quebec French profanity , and are considered to be stronger than other profane words in French. Examples of sacres considered profane in Quebec are tabarnak ( tabernacle ), hostie ( host ), and sacrament ( sacrament ). When used as profanities, sacres are often interchangeable. The Book of Leviticus indicates that blasphemous language warrants death, while
10965-409: The earliest known use of the word 'fuck' that clearly has a sexual connotation": in English court records of 1310–11, a man local to Chester is referred to as "Roger Fuckebythenavele", probably a nickname. "Either this refers to an inexperienced copulator, referring to someone trying to have sex with the navel, or it's a rather extravagant explanation for a dimwit, someone so stupid they think that this
11094-446: The eff/F or You effing/f'ing fool ). Also, there are many commonly used substitutes, such as flipping , frigging , fricking , freaking , feck , fudge , flaming , forget or any of a number of similar-sounding nonsense words. In print, there are alternatives such as, F*** , F––k , etc.; or a string of non- alphanumeric characters, for example, @$ #*%! and similar (especially favored in comic books ). A replacement word that
11223-435: 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. Fuck is not widely used in politics, and the use of the word by politicians often produces controversy. Some events include: In April 1997, clothing retailer French Connection began branding their clothes with fcuk (usually written in lowercase), stating it
11352-495: The genitals or buttocks, is also seen as profane in many parts of the world. Though cursing often refers to the use of profanity in general, it can refer to more specific phrases of harm such as damn you or a pox on you . Historically, people swore by or to the ideas that they were invoking, instead of swearing at something. Oaths in which the speaker swears by something, such as by God , can be used as interjections or intensifiers, typically without religious connotation. This
11481-421: The genres of punk and metal , while some fall into the categories of electronic rock and pop, such as Holy Fuck and Fuck Buttons The phrase dropping an F-bomb usually refers to the unanticipated use of the word fuck in an unexpected setting, such as public media, a play on the nickname for the hydrogen bomb (the "H-bomb") and the shock value that using the word fuck in discourse carries. The term
11610-540: The human body, which creates a dichotomy between the use of highbrow religious swears and lowbrow anatomical swears. Languages and cultures place different emphasis on the subjects of profanity. Anatomical profanity is common in Polish, for example, while swearing in Dutch is more commonly in reference to disease. Words for excrement and for the buttocks have profane variants across most cultures. Though religious swears were historically more severe, modern society across much of
11739-443: The intentional creation of new euphemisms to avoid terms that may be stigmatizing. Some become widely accepted, such as substance abuse for drug addiction , while others are ignored or derided, such as differently abled for disabled . The brain processes profanity differently than it processes other forms of language. Intentional controlled swearing is associated with the brain's left hemisphere , while reflexive swearing
11868-444: The internet, as through Usenet or email or more recently through other social media . They can also be linked to viral online content. Some take the form of chain letters and spread by e-mail, directing the reader to share them or to meet a terrible fate, and following a recognizable outline of hook, threat, and finally request. Paranormal urban-legend stories usually involve someone encountering something supernatural, such as
11997-547: The latest threat. According to the "Lights Out" rumor , street gang members would drive without headlights until a compassionate motorist responded with the traditional flashing of headlights, whereupon a prospective new gang member would have to murder the citizen as a requirement of initiation . A fax retelling this legend received at the Nassau County, Florida , fire department was forwarded to police, and from there to all city departments. The Minister of Defence for Canada
12126-857: The lesson or moral generally remains the same. The term "urban legend", as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968, when it was used by Richard Dorson . Jan Harold Brunvand , professor of English at the University of Utah , introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981. Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales. Many urban legends are framed as complete stories with plot and characters. The compelling appeal of
12255-587: The listener's female relatives, either by describing sexual activity involving them or suggesting that the listener engage in activities with them. Aboriginal Australian languages sometimes invoke one's deceased ancestors in profanity. The names of political ideologies are sometimes invoked as swear words by their opponents. Fascist is commonly used as an epithet in the modern era, replacing historical use of radical . Far-left groups have historically used words like capitalist and imperialist as terms of abuse, while Western speakers use communist in
12384-450: The listener's mother exist across numerous major languages, though it is absent from Germanic languages with the exception of English. These phrases often include terms of abuse that implicate the subject's mother, such as son of a bitch in English or wáng bā dàn ( transl. child of a cuckolded man ) in Mandarin. Russian profanity places heavy emphasis on the sexual conduct of
12513-538: The margin notes, "fuckin Abbot". Whether the monk meant the word literally, to accuse this abbot of "questionable monastic morals", or whether he used it "as an intensifier, to convey his extreme dismay" is unclear. John Florio's 1598 Italian–English dictionary, A Worlde of Wordes , included the term, along with several now-archaic, but then-vulgar synonyms, in this definition: Of these, "occupy" and "jape" still survive as verbs, though with less profane meanings, while "sard"
12642-613: The mildest terms as swear words, such as pooh-pooh . Adolescents develop an understanding of double meanings in terms like balls . The severity of a swear word may decline over time as it is repeated. In some cases, slurs can be reclaimed by the targeted group when they are used ironically or in a positive context, such as queer to refer to the LGBTQ community . People who speak multiple languages often have stronger emotional associations with profanity in their native languages over that of languages that they acquire later. The severity of
12771-650: The months leading up to its release. Between 1992 and 1998 The Guardian newspaper "Weekend" section published the illustrated "Urban Myths" column by Phil Healey and Rick Glanvill, with content taken from a series of four books: Urban Myths , The Return of Urban Myths , Urban Myths Unplugged , and Now! That's What I Call Urban Myths . The 1994 comics anthology the Big Book of Urban Legends , written by Robert Boyd, Jan Harold Brunvand , and Robert Loren Fleming , featured 200 urban legends, displayed as comics. The British writer Tony Barrell has explored urban legends in
12900-563: The name for being "scandalous" under the Lanham Act . The Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that a provision in 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a) of the Act, denying registration to any trademarks seen as consisting of immoral or scandalous matter, was an unconstitutional restriction of applicants' freedom of speech . The word fuck has been used in a number of band names, such as Fucked Up , generally based on common compounds. Many of these bands fall into
13029-420: The negative associations of swear words mean they are often emotionally charged. Expressions of anger and frustration are the most common reason for swearing. Such expressions are associated with abusive profanity, which is the most negatively charged and is specifically chosen to insult or offend the subject. This may take the form of a direct insult, such as calling the subject an asshole , or by addressing
13158-465: The old Procter & Gamble symbol, supposedly an occult figure that gave panache to the brand. (If the thirteen stars in the symbol were connected a certain way, it would show three sixes in a row or looked at the 3 curls at the bottom they form the inverted 6s.) Similarly, a video of a Christian woman "exposing" Monster Energy for using the Hebrew letter vav ( ו ), forming the letter "M", to disguise
13287-414: The original meaning, such as the English phrases all hell broke loose or shit happens , which carry the negative associations of hell and shit as undesirable places and things. Others are nonsensical when interpreted literally, like take a flying fuck in English as well as putain de merde ( whore of shit ) in French and porca Madonna ( the sow of Madonna ) in Italian. A distinction
13416-663: The penis and vulva are often used as interjections. Penile interjections are often used in Italian ( cazzo ), Russian ( хуй , khuy ), and Spanish ( carajo ). Vulvar interjections are often used in Dutch ( kut ), Hungarian ( pisca ), Russian ( пизда , pizda ), Spanish ( coño ), and Swedish ( fitta ). Such terms, especially those relating to the vulva, may also be used as terms of abuse. Profanities related to testicles are less common and their function varies across languages. They may be used as interjections, such as in English ( balls or bollocks ), Italian ( coglione ), and Spanish ( cojones ). Danish uses testicles as
13545-481: The pronunciation of profanities. This includes the suggestion that profanities are more likely to include plosives , but this remains unstudied, especially outside of Indo-European languages . The use of profanity is the most common way to express taboo ideas. The dichotomy between its taboo nature and its prevalence in day-to-day life is studied as the "swearing paradox". It is used casually in some social settings, which can facilitate bonding and camaraderie, denote
13674-452: The same manner . The use of political terms in a profane sense often leads to the term becoming less impactful or losing relevance as a political descriptor entirely. Words for animals can be used as terms of abuse despite not being inherently profane, commonly referencing some attribute of the animal. Examples in English include bitch to demean a woman or louse to describe someone unwanted. They may also be used in interjections like
13803-484: The shorthand WTF ? for ' what the fuck ', STFU for ' shut the fuck up ', or FML for 'fuck my life', have been widely extant on the Internet, and may count as examples of internet memes . Many acronyms will also have an F or MF added to increase emphasis; for example, OMG (' oh my God ') becomes OMFG ('oh my fucking God'). Abbreviations involving fuck can be considered less offensive than fuck itself. Although
13932-407: The spread of agriculture, they put less wear and tear on their teeth, leading to an overbite in adults. This overbite is said to make it easier to produce "f" and "v" sounds, and humorously, cleared the way for words like "Fuck". The modern usage and flexibility of fuck was established by the mid-to-late 19th century, and has been fairly stable since. Most literally, to fuck is to have sex, but it
14061-522: The story a serial killer deliberately hiding in the back seat of a car. Another such example since the 1970s has been the recurring rumor that the Procter & Gamble Company was associated with Satan-worshippers because of details within its 19th-century "57" trademark. The legend interrupted the company's business to the point that it stopped using the trademark. The earliest term by which these narratives were known, "urban belief tales", highlights what
14190-538: The subject profanely, such as telling someone to fuck off . It can also be used to indicate contempt . Cathartic profanity is used as an expression of annoyance, and it is often considered less rude than profanity directed at a specific subject. Profanity can be used as a statement of agreement or disagreement, though disagreement is more common; the hell it is and my ass are examples of English profanities that indicate disagreement. The potent nature of swearing means that it can be used to gain attention, including
14319-680: The thunder god Ukko , the chief god of the Finnish pagan pantheon. Profanity related to sexual activity, including insults related to genitals, exists across cultures. The specific aspects invoked are sensitive to a given culture, with differences in how much they emphasize ideas like incest or adultery. Certain types of sex acts, such as oral sex, anal sex, or masturbation, may receive particular attention. Verbs describing sexual activity are frequently profane, like fuck in English, foutre in French, fottere in Italian, jodido in Spanish, and ебать ( yebatˈ ) in Russian. Words describing
14448-444: The time), a phrase that evolved into the modern fuck you . In any event, the word fuck has been in use far too long for some of these supposed origins to be possible. Since no such acronym was ever recorded before the 1960s according to the lexicographical work The F-Word , such claims create at best a so-called " backronym ". In terms of its parts of speech, fuck has a very flexible role in English grammar, functioning as both
14577-546: The use of language to cast a curse on someone, and in American English it is still commonly associated with wishing harm on another. Equivalents to cursing are used similarly in Danish ( bande ), Italian ( imprecare ), and Norwegian ( banne ). The terms swearing and cursing have strong associations with the use of profanity in anger. Various efforts have been made to classify different types of profanity, but there
14706-428: The use of profanity is easier to remember when recalling a conversation or other speech. Exposure to profanity leads to higher levels of arousal , and it can cause increases in heart rate and electrodermal activity as part of a fight-or-flight response. Swearing has also been shown to increase pain tolerance , especially among people who do not regularly swear. Compulsive swearing is called coprolalia , and it
14835-419: The use of profanity to cause shock. In some circumstances, swearing can be used as a form of politeness, such as when a speaker gives positive reinforcement by describing something as pretty fucking good . Propositional or controlled swearing is done consciously, and speakers choose their wording and how to express it. This is more common when using descriptive swearing. Non-propositional or reflexive swearing
14964-441: The word as well as compounds that incorporate it, such as motherfucker and fuck off . It is unclear whether the word has always been considered a pejorative or, if not, when it first came to be used to describe (often in an extremely angry, hostile, or belligerent manner) unpleasant circumstances or people in an intentionally offensive way, such as in the term motherfucker , one of its more common usages in some parts of
15093-447: The word is proclaimed vulgar, several comedians rely on fuck for comedic routines. George Carlin created several literary works based upon the word, including his routine " seven dirty words "—words that were bleep censored on US television. "Fuck all" is a widely recognised expression meaning "None, or very little". In 1928, English writer D. H. Lawrence 's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover gained notoriety for its frequent use of
15222-565: The word on Panorama in 1956 or the man who painted the railings on Stranmillis Embankment alongside the River Lagan in Belfast, who in 1959 told Ulster TV's teatime magazine programme Roundabout that his job was "fucking boring". The Bill Grundy incident was a controversy that ensued in 1976 when Today host Bill Grundy interviewed the Sex Pistols , after guitarist Steve Jones called Grundy
15351-440: The words a fuck were removed, making the poem the first recorded instance of the now-common phrase I don't give a fuck . Farmer and Henley's 1893 dictionary of slang notes both the adverbial and adjectival forms of fuck as similar to but "more violent" than bloody and indicating extreme insult, respectively. According to an article in the journal Science , research shows that when humans switched to processed foods after
15480-676: The words fuck and fucking . The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger featured the use of fuck you in print. First published in the United States in 1951, the novel remains controversial to this day due in part to its use of the word, standing at number 13 for the most banned books from 1990 to 2000 according to the American Library Association. The first documented use of the word fuck on live British television has been attributed to theatre critic Kenneth Tynan in 1965, though it has been claimed Irish playwright Brendan Behan used
15609-416: The world has come to see sexual and anatomical swears to be more vulgar. Common profane phrases sometimes incorporate more than one category of profanity for increased effect. The Spanish phrase me cago en Dios y en la Puta Virgen ( transl. I shit on God and on the prostitute Virgin ) invokes scatological, religious, and sexual profanity. Other swear words do not refer to any subject, such as
15738-570: Was a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon verb seordan (or seorðan , ON serða ), to copulate; and "swive" had derived from earlier swīfan , to revolve i.e. to swivel (compare modern-day "screw"). As late as the 18th century, the verb occupy was seldom used in print because it carried sexual overtones. A 1790 poem by St. George Tucker has a father upset with his bookish son say "I'd not give [a fuck] for all you've read". Originally printed as "I'd not give ------ for all you've read", scholars agree that
15867-495: Was an acronym for "French Connection United Kingdom". Its similarity to the word fuck caused controversy. French Connection produced a range of T-shirts with messages such as "fcuk this", "hot as fcuk", "cool as fcuk", "fcuk fashion", etc. In 2009, the European Union's OHIM trade marks agency disallowed a German brewery to market a beer called " Fucking Hell ". The brewery sued, and on March 26, 2010 got permission to market
15996-406: Was essential to the story. According to linguist Pamela Hobbs, "notwithstanding its increasing public use, enduring cultural models that inform our beliefs about the nature of sexuality and sexual acts preserve its status as a vile utterance that continues to inspire moral outrage." Hobbs considers users rather than usage of the word and sub-divides users into "non-users", for whom "the word belongs to
16125-416: Was first reported in a newspaper ( Newsday ) in 1988 when Hall of Fame baseball catcher Gary Carter used it. In 2012 it was listed, for the first time, in the mainstream Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary . In the United States, the word is frequently edited out of music and films when broadcast on TV, such as in the film The Big Lebowski , when John Goodman 's character repeatedly yells, "This
16254-419: Was taken in by it also; he forwarded an urgent security warning to all Ontario Members of Parliament. Urban legends typically include common elements: the tale is retold on behalf of the original witness or participant; dire warnings are often given for those who might not heed the advice or lesson contained therein (a typical element of many e-mail phishing scams); and the tale is often touted as "something
16383-552: Was then thought of as a key property: their tellers regarded the stories as true accounts, and the device of the FOAF (acronym for "Friend of a Friend" invented by English writer and folklorist Rodney Dale in 1976) was a spurious but significant effort at authentication. The coinage leads in turn to the terms "FOAFlore" and "FOAFtale". While at least one classic legend, the "Death Car", has been shown to have some basis in fact, folklorists have an interest in debunking those narratives only to
16512-410: Was then, yields the macaronic non sunt in coeli, quia fuccant vvivys of heli , which translated means, 'They are not in heaven, because they fuck the women of Ely '. The phrase was probably encoded because it accused monks of breaking their vows of celibacy; it is uncertain to what extent the word fuck was considered acceptable at the time. The stem of fuccant is an English word used as Latin . In
16641-577: Was used mainly on Usenet newsgroups is fsck , derived from the name of the Unix f ile s ystem c hec k ing utility. Profanity Profanity , also known as swearing , cursing , or cussing , involves the use of notionally offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion, as a grammatical intensifier or emphasis, or to express informality or conversational intimacy. In many formal or polite social situations, it
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