The Origins of the Bad Word

Driving to school this morning, ND asked a proufound question " who invented  bad words mommy" ?  " oh sheesh"  I thought, "I have only had one cup of coffee and its a monday- am I really ready to tackle this question? " I know he has heard things on TV, and even there has been times Senior and I have slipped up...The question was inevitable.

"I really don't know, I think they just developed over the years"
NW spoke up and said " I think it was Mr. John Dirtyword, who invented them" 
"No", I said "I don't think that is exactly true"

The conversation did get me to thinking, "Where did bad words originate"? So I came home, ate my raisin bran, and poured a cup of coffee and sat down to research.
Most of the words were derived from the Germanic language.
 Take the "F-word" for instance:

This is an old word. OLD. In fact, we aren't entirely certain we can trace it back definitively because it was so much more prevalent in common speech than in written form. It is assumed to originate from the Germanic languages (the German "f****n", the Dutch "fokken", the Norwegian "f*kka" and the Swedish "fokka") but there are similar usages in the Latin/Greek languages

There are plenty of urban legends surrounding the history of this particular word, but most have been found to be false. For example, the word "f**k" did not come from "File Under Carnal Knowledge", "Fornication Under the Command of the King", False Use of Carnal Knowledge", and any other iterations involving acronyms.

The first known occurrence of the word (at least the most accepted) is in code in a poem in a French/Latin mix which satirizes the Carmelite monks of Cambridge from around 1500. The line reads "They are not in heaven because they f**k wives of Ely". It was probably coded because it spoke poorly of clergy... not something that would usually get into print since so much of the written word of that day was written BY clergy.

In my search for the origins of words, I also came across that there was once an African tribal king Named "Mutafuk" who demanded all his subjects go around saying his name. Well, it evolved in to the now black communities which is why they call each other "Mother -----"  ( Okay, so that might not be entirely true!  )

"S---T" Probably an Old English word, it is very likely another one with its roots in the Germanic languages. That's where all the best words seem to come from. The Old English noun "scite" and the Middle Low German "schite"... both meaning dung, plus the word "scitte" meaning diarrhea. It first showed up in writing back in the 14th century, so this is another cuss word for the ages.
"D--MN"- First actually started out at as the french words "Damner" or Latin " Damnare" which both meant "loss" in the old English language it was "Damnum" which meant to pass judgement upon. Which is probably why the words "Damnation, and Hell" are so often used by theologians. And appears so much in the bible.

Basically what I learned is that they all started out as just mere words, but evolved over the centuries with emotions, and different meanings. I giggle some times when I remember a sermon my childhood paster would preach on the subject, he would look down from the pulpit and tell us that people use profanity, because they are too uneducated to think of something more intelligent to say. Wow at the time it really made me want to become smart so I could think of other ways to express myself. 

So, now I have completed my research in to the history of bad words, I feel all the more wiser and now I can sit with him and explain how they were created, and try to get him to understand that I know they are words, but they are not nice words, and our little mouths and brains should choose not to use them.

-JUGM