vulgarian.fyi

An etymological reference for profanity and vulgar language. 70 entries documented. The dictionary does not blush.

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Arse

/ɑːs/

Mild

From Old English ærs or ears, meaning 'buttocks' or 'tail,' from Proto-Germanic *arsaz, cognate with Old High German ars...

Scatological Old English · c. 1000

Arsehole

/ˈɑːrshoʊl/

Moderate

A compound of 'arse,' from Old English 'ærs' (buttocks), cognate with Old High German 'ars' and Old Norse 'ars,' ultimat...

Insult English · c. 1400 (literal), c. 1930s (figurative)

Ass

/æs/

Mild

Two distinct etymological lines converge in modern 'ass.' The first, meaning donkey, derives from Old English assa, from...

Profanity Old English · c. 1000 (donkey); c. 860 (buttocks, as 'arse')

Bastard

/ˈbæs.təɹd/

Mild

From Old French bastard (11th century), likely from fils de bast ('son of the packsaddle'), a reference to conception on...

Insult Old French · c. 1230

Bellend

/ˈbɛl.ɛnd/

Moderate

A compound of 'bell' (from Old English belle) and 'end,' originating as anatomical slang for the glans penis, whose shap...

Insult English (compound) · c. 1960s (anatomical slang); 1990s (insult sense in wide circulation)

Bitch

/bɪtʃ/

Moderate

From Old English bicce ('female dog'), of uncertain further origin. Possibly from Old Norse bikkja ('female dog') or fro...

Insult Old English · c. 1000 (female dog); c. 1400 (applied to a woman)

Bloody

/ˈblʌd.i/

Mild

From Old English blōdig ('covered in blood'), from blōd ('blood') + -ig (adjectival suffix). The intensifier usage, firs...

Profanity Old English · c. 700 (literal); 1676 (intensifier)

Bollocks

/ˈbɒl.əks/

Moderate

From Old English beallucas, plural of bealluc, meaning 'testicles.' The term is cognate with Old Norse bǫllr ('ball') an...

Profanity Old English · c. 1000

Bugger

/ˈbʌɡ.əɹ/

Mild

From Old French bougre, from Medieval Latin Bulgarus ('Bulgarian'). The Bogomil heresy, which originated in Bulgaria in ...

Sexual Old French · c. 1300

Bullshit

/ˈbʊl.ʃɪt/

Mild

A compound of 'bull' and 'shit,' first attested in the early 20th century. The 'bull' element has been the subject of co...

Profanity English · 1915

Chickenshit

/ˈtʃɪk.ɪn.ʃɪt/

Mild

A compound of 'chicken' (long established as a metaphor for cowardice, attested in this figurative sense since at least ...

Insult English · c. 1934

Chink

/tʃɪŋk/

Extreme

The slur is generally understood to derive from China, with the addition of the common English diminutive or clipping su...

Slur English · c. 1901

Cock

/kɒk/

Moderate

From Old English cocc, originally denoting a male chicken (rooster). The word is likely of onomatopoeic origin, imitatin...

Sexual Old English · c. 897 (bird); c. 1618 (anatomical)

Cracker

/ˈkɹæk.əɹ/

Moderate

The origin is disputed. The most widely cited derivation traces the term to the Elizabethan English verb 'crack,' meanin...

Slur English · c. 1509

Crap

/kɹæp/

Mild

From Middle English crappe ('chaff, grain residue'), from Old French crappe ('siftings, waste'). The scatological meanin...

Scatological Middle English · c. 1425 (chaff/residue); 1846 (excrement)

Cripple

/ˈkrɪpəl/

Strong

From Old English crypel ('one who creeps, a crippled person'), related to Old English crēopan ('to creep') and cognate w...

Slur Old English · c. 950

Cunt

/kʌnt/

Extreme

From Old Norse kunta or Proto-Germanic *kuntō, cognate with Middle English cunte, Old Frisian kunte, Middle Low German k...

Obscenity Old Norse / Proto-Germanic · c. 1230

Dago

/ˈdeɪ.ɡoʊ/

Extreme

Derived from Diego, the common Spanish given name (itself from Latin Didacus, possibly from Greek didakhē, 'teaching'). ...

Slur Spanish · c. 1823

Damn

/dæm/

Mild

From Old French damner, from Latin damnare ('to condemn, to inflict loss upon'), itself derived from damnum ('loss, dama...

Blasphemy Latin · c. 1280

Dickhead

/ˈdɪkˌhɛd/

Moderate

A compound of 'dick,' a slang term for the penis attested since the late 18th century (itself possibly derived from the ...

Insult English · c. 1960s

Dipshit

/ˈdɪp.ʃɪt/

Moderate

A compound of 'dip' and 'shit,' originating in mid-20th-century American English. The 'dip' element has been the subject...

Insult English · c. 1960s

Douche

/duːʃ/

Mild

From French douche ('shower, jet of water'), itself from Italian doccia ('conduit pipe, shower'), derived from Latin duc...

Insult French · c. 1766 (medical term); c. 1960s (insult, as 'douchebag')

Douchebag

/ˈduːʃ.bæɡ/

Mild

A compound of 'douche' (from French douche, 'shower,' itself from Italian doccia, from Latin ductio, 'a leading or conve...

Insult French / English · 1946

Dumb

/dʌm/

Mild

From Old English dumb ('silent, mute, unable to speak'), from Proto-Germanic *dumbaz ('silent, dull'), cognate with Old ...

Insult Old English · c. 700

Dyke

/daɪk/

Strong

The etymological origin of this term remains uncertain and is the subject of ongoing scholarly debate. One theory derive...

Slur English (disputed) · c. 1942

Faggot

/ˈfæɡət/

Extreme

From Old French fagot ('bundle of sticks'), possibly from Italian fagotto, of uncertain ultimate origin. Some scholars h...

Slur Old French · c. 1300 (bundle); 1914 (anti-gay slur)

Fanny

/ˈfæn.i/

Mild

The anatomical slang sense is widely believed to derive from John Cleland's novel Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Plea...

Sexual English (from proper name) · c. 1830s (British, vulva); c. 1919 (American, buttocks)

Fuck

/fʌk/

Strong

Origin debated. Likely from Proto-Germanic *fukkōn, possibly related to Middle Dutch fokken ('to thrust, to breed'), Swe...

Obscenity Germanic · c. 1475

Git

/ɡɪt/

Mild

A dialectal variant of 'get,' from Old Norse geta ('to obtain, beget'), which in Middle English developed the sense of '...

Insult Middle English · c. 1946 (as a general insult); Middle English (as dialectal 'get/git' meaning offspring)

Goddamn

/ˌɡɒdˈdæm/

Moderate

A compound of 'God' and 'damn,' formed by the direct invocation of divine condemnation. The phrase 'God damn' was attest...

Blasphemy English (compound) · c. 1380

Gook

/ɡuːk/

Extreme

The etymology of this term is among the most disputed of any English-language slur, with multiple competing theories and...

Slur English (disputed; possibly Korean or Tagalog) · c. 1899

Hell

/hɛl/

Mild

From Old English hel or hell, from Proto-Germanic *haljō ('the underworld, concealed place'), from PIE root *kel- ('to c...

Blasphemy Old English · c. 725

Honky

/ˈhɒŋ.ki/

Moderate

The origin is contested. The most frequently cited derivation traces the term to 'hunky,' a late 19th-century slur direc...

Slur English (disputed) · c. 1946

Jackass

/ˈdʒæk.æs/

Mild

A compound of 'jack' (a generic name for a male animal, particularly a donkey, attested from the sixteenth century) and ...

Insult English (compound) · c. 1727 (animal); c. 1823 (insult)

Jerkoff

/ˈdʒɜːrk.ɒf/

Moderate

Formed as a compound nominalization of the phrasal verb 'jerk off,' meaning to masturbate. The verb 'jerk' has been atte...

Insult English (American compound) · c. 1896 (verb phrase); c. 1960s (noun insult)

Kike

/kaɪk/

Extreme

The origin of this term is actively disputed among etymologists. One prominent theory traces it to the Yiddish diminutiv...

Slur Yiddish (disputed) · c. 1900

Knob

/nɒb/

Moderate

Derived from Middle English knobbe, meaning a knot, lump, or rounded protuberance, with cognates in Middle Low German kn...

Sexual Middle English · c. 1380 (general sense); c. 1720 (anatomical slang)

Lame

/leɪm/

Mild

From Old English lama ('weak-limbed, crippled, paralyzed'), from Proto-Germanic *lamaz ('lame'), cognate with Old Norse ...

Insult Old English · c. 700

Minger

/ˈmɪŋ.ər/

Mild

Derived from the Scots dialect verb 'ming,' meaning 'to smell badly, to stink,' itself possibly related to Old English g...

Insult Scots English · c. 1970s (Scots dialect); 1990s (wider British usage)

Motherfucker

/ˈmʌðərˌfʌkər/

Strong

A compound of 'mother' and 'fucker,' formed in American English. The earliest recorded uses have been traced to African ...

Obscenity English · c. 1889

Nigger

/ˈnɪɡər/

Extreme

Derived from Spanish negro and Portuguese negro ('black'), themselves from Latin niger ('black, dark, swarthy'). The wor...

Slur Latin via Spanish/Portuguese · 1574

Nonce

/nɒns/

Strong

The precise etymology is disputed. Several competing derivations have been proposed: (1) from 'nonsense,' shortened in p...

Insult English (British prison slang) · c. 1970s (prison slang)

Peckerwood

/ˈpɛk.ər.wʊd/

Strong

An inversion of 'woodpecker,' with the transposition of the compound elements serving as a marker of African American ve...

Slur English · c. 1850s

Pillock

/ˈpɪl.ək/

Mild

Derived from the Middle English pillicock, a term for the penis, itself from Scandinavian sources (compare Norwegian dia...

Insult Scandinavian / Middle English · c. 1530 (as pillicock); 20th century (as pillock in modern insult sense)

Piss

/pɪs/

Mild

From Old French pissier ('to urinate'), attested from the twelfth century. The Old French form is generally considered t...

Scatological Old French · c. 1290

Prick

/prɪk/

Moderate

From Old English prica or pricca, meaning a point, dot, or small mark, with cognates in Middle Low German pricke and Dut...

Sexual Old English · c. 897 (general sense); c. 1592 (anatomical slang)

Pussy

/ˈpʊsi/

Strong

The etymology is complicated by the convergence of at least two distinct lineages. The 'cat' sense is attested from the ...

Sexual Old English / Low German · c. 1583 (cat sense); 1699 (anatomical sense)

Queer

/kwɪr/

Moderate

From German quer ('oblique, cross, at right angles'), entering Scots English in the early sixteenth century with the sen...

Slur German · c. 1513

Redneck

/ˈrɛd.nɛk/

Moderate

A compound of 'red' and 'neck,' referring to the sunburned necks of outdoor laborers, particularly agricultural workers ...

Slur English · 1830

Retard

/rɪˈtɑːrd/ (noun), /rɪˈtɑːrd/ (verb)

Extreme

From Latin retardare ('to make slow, to delay, to hinder'), composed of re- ('back') and tardare ('to slow'), from tardu...

Slur Latin · c. 1490 (verb); 1895 (clinical adjective); c. 1960s (pejorative noun)

Schmuck

/ʃmʌk/

Mild

From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok), meaning 'penis,' itself derived from an older Germanic root possibly related to Old High Ger...

Insult Yiddish · c. 1892 (American English)

Scumbag

/ˈskʌm.bæɡ/

Moderate

A compound of 'scum' and 'bag,' originating as slang for a used condom. 'Scum' in this context referred to semen (a usag...

Insult English · 1967

Shag

/ʃæɡ/

Moderate

Derived from Old English sceacga, meaning rough, matted hair or a rough head of hair, with possible cognates in Old Nors...

Sexual Old English · c. 1000 (textile/hair sense); c. 1770 (sexual sense)

Shit

/ʃɪt/

Moderate

From Old English scitte ('diarrhea') and scitan ('to defecate'), from Proto-Germanic *skit- ('to separate, divide'), fro...

Scatological Old English · c. 1000

Slag

/slæɡ/

Strong

From Middle Low German slagge, meaning 'waste matter from metal smelting,' cognate with Middle High German slacke and re...

Slur Middle Low German · 1552 (metallurgical); c. 1958 (pejorative)

Slut

/slʌt/

Strong

From Middle English 'slutte,' first attested in the late 14th century with the meaning of an untidy or slovenly woman. T...

Slur Middle English · c. 1402

Sod

/sɒd/

Mild

A mid-nineteenth-century abbreviation of 'sodomite,' itself from Old French sodomite, from Late Latin sodomita, from the...

Sexual English (shortening) · 1818

Son of a Bitch

/ˌsʌn əv ə ˈbɪtʃ/

Moderate

A compound insult formed from 'son' and 'bitch,' where 'bitch' retains its original sense of a female dog, and the phras...

Insult English · 1707

Spade

/speɪd/

Extreme

The racial slur derives not from the Old English spadu ('digging tool'), but from the suit in playing cards, which enter...

Slur English (slur sense); Italian (card suit sense) · c. 1928

Spic

/spɪk/

Extreme

The etymology is contested, with several competing theories and no scholarly consensus. The most widely cited derivation...

Slur American English (disputed) · 1913 (as anti-Italian); 1920s (as anti-Hispanic)

Tits

/tɪts/

Moderate

From Old English titt, meaning 'teat' or 'nipple,' cognate with Middle Low German titte and Old Norse tittr. The word is...

Sexual Old English · c. 1000

Tosser

/ˈtɒsə/

Mild

Derived from the verb 'toss' with the agentive suffix '-er.' The insult sense is traced to the phrase 'toss off,' which ...

Insult English · c. 1977 (insult sense)

Tranny

/ˈtræni/

Strong

A clipped form derived from 'transsexual' or 'transvestite,' both of which entered English from medical and psychiatric ...

Slur English · c. 1983

Turd

/tɜːrd/

Mild

From Old English 'tord,' meaning a piece of excrement, from Proto-Germanic '*turdą,' cognate with Old Norse 'tord-ýfill'...

Scatological Old English · c. 1000

Twat

/twɒt/ (British), /twæt/ (American)

Strong

Possibly derived from Old Norse þveit, meaning a cut, slit, or forest clearing. The term appeared in Middle English with...

Obscenity Old Norse · c. 1656

Wanker

/ˈwæŋ.kər/

Moderate

Derived from the verb 'wank,' meaning 'to masturbate,' with the agentive suffix '-er.' The verb 'wank' is of uncertain o...

Insult English · c. 1950

Wetback

/ˈwɛt.bæk/

Extreme

A compound of wet and back, referring literally to the physical condition of a person who has crossed the Rio Grande by ...

Slur English · c. 1920

Whore

/hɔːr/

Strong

From Old English hōre ('prostitute, adulteress'), from Proto-Germanic *hōrōn, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ('to desir...

Slur Old English · c. 1100

Whoreson

/ˈhɔːr.sʌn/

Moderate

A compound of 'whore' (from Old English hōre, from Proto-Germanic *hōrōn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- mea...

Insult English (compound) · c. 1300

Wop

/wɒp/

Extreme

The origin has been the subject of persistent popular misconception. The widely circulated claim that 'wop' is an acrony...

Slur Italian (most likely); English (folk etymology) · c. 1908