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| To '''fuck''' is to ], sometimes aggressively. The word is considered one of the strongest ]s or ]s in the ]. It is often ] |
To '''fuck''' is to ], sometimes aggressively. The word is considered one of the strongest ]s or ]s in the ]. It is often ] as '''the f-word''' or '''f***'''. It is one of the so-called "]". | ||
| The liberal usage of the word (and other vulgarisms) by certain artists (such as ], ], and ]) has led to the banning of their works and criminal charges of ]. | The liberal usage of the word (and other vulgarisms) by certain artists (such as ], ], and ]) has led to the banning of their works and criminal charges of ]. | ||
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| === References and external links === | === References and external links === | ||
| Lexicographer ] compiled ''The F Word'' (1999) ISBN |
Lexicographer ] compiled ''The F Word'' (1999) ISBN 0375706348, which presents hundreds of uses of ''fuck'' and related words. | ||
Revision as of 05:59, 23 September 2002
To fuck is to copulate, sometimes aggressively. The word is considered one of the strongest vulgarisms or epithets in the English language. It is often bowdlerized as the f-word or f***. It is one of the so-called "four-letter words".
The liberal usage of the word (and other vulgarisms) by certain artists (such as James Joyce, Henry Miller, and Lenny Bruce) has led to the banning of their works and criminal charges of obscenity.
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission forbids the use of the word on broadcast television and radio; it is usually replaced by a beep.
In 1900, the Prince of Wales said "Fuck it, I've taken a bullet" when he was shot by an anarchist while standing on a Brussels railway station.
In 1965, Kenneth Tynan was the first man to say "fuck" on television, on the late-night live satire program BBC3, causing a furor.
Etymology
Its root is unclear; its earliest recorded use is in 1503. There is an evident connection to the Germanic word ficken, to strike (slang for "copulate"), and to the Latin futuere, but there is no clear lineage.
There is perhaps even an original Celtic derivation; futuere being related to battuere (to strike, to copulate); which may be related to Irish bot and Manx bwoid (penis). The argument is that battuere and futuere (like the Irish and Manx words) comes from the Celtic *bactuere (to pierce), from the root buc- (a point). An even earlier root may be the Egyptian petcha (to copulate), which has a highly suggestive hieroglyph.
Part of the reason for the difficulty of the etymology is that the word was too taboo for the original Oxford English Dictionary. It, and cunt, were first included in the 1972 edition.
There are many folk etymologies, including the acronyms "Fornication Under Consent of the King" and "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", supposedly written on the stocks above people who committed adultery.
References and external links
Lexicographer Jesse Sheidlower compiled The F Word (1999) ISBN 0375706348, which presents hundreds of uses of fuck and related words.