History of the Word Cunt
It all started in the red-light district…
The word cunt refers to the vulva of the vagina. It is the oldest English word for female genitals. That’s right, older than the Vagina itself. A famous lexicographer Francis Grose defined it as “a nasty word for a nasty thing.”
The First Recorded Usage
The first recorded usage of the word cunt dates back to 1230. The word was used to write the name of one street in the heart of London — Gropecuntlane. In medieval times, it was common for the street name to reveal the function or the activities that were being performed in it. As you can already guess, Gropecuntlane Street was a red-light district. And it wasn’t only one street. But London wasn’t the only city to have it. Gropecuntlane Street could be found in many towns and cities all across England during the Middle Ages. And they all referred to the same thing — areas in the town in which the prostitution was flourishing. Those streets were very often the busiest and the most crowded parts of town and cities.
The word Gropecunt is a compound of grope and cunt. In a sexual context, the term grope means to unintentionally touch another person in a sexual way without their consent. As for the word cunt, it means pussy.
Cunt in Literature
When it comes to literature, the word cunt didn’t start its life as an offensive term. It had a descriptive nature. It is why the word cunt can be found in numerous medieval medical texts. The medieval literature was full of the term as well. And using it was completely normal. However, the word cunt started to be censored around Shakespeare’s era.
Yes, the word had a sexual connotation and that made it a taboo. However, the real reason for censure wasn’t the sexual nature of the word. It was a widespread belief that the usage of words can affect things in reality. In addition to that, it is very likely that the term Vagina, which came from latin that was deemed for more refined language, pushed out the term cunt from normal use into the dungeons of taboo.
“Vagina” is rooted in the Latin word “cunnus” meaning “sword sheath.”
Was Cunt a Goddes? Kunti
Kunti was a Hindu goddess who represented the beauty and power of the female body in Mahabharata — a major sanscript in ancient India. This Hindu text was written sometime between 400–200 B.C. It would mean that the word cunt could be more than two millennia old.
Further evolution of the word can be tracked through the Old Norse language. Old Norse “kunta” used to refer to vulva. However, other Germanic and Scandinavian languages had many variations of the word. For example, “kont” in the modern Dutch means “buttocks.”
P.S.
Here is one famous quote based on the word cunt.
There is no cure for being a cunt.
If you like this, check History of the Bad Language.
