cunt
/kʌnt/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*kuntōn — female genitalia
Overview
Meaning Now
- A vulgar term for the female genitalia.
- A highly offensive and derogatory term used to describe a person, typically a woman, regarded as contemptible or unpleasant.
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Middle English → English
Earliest form
cunte
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
In the Middle Ages, the word was a standard anatomical term and appeared in place names (e.g., 'Gropecunt Lane'). By the 18th century, it was excluded from most dictionaries and became heavily stigmatized, a status that persists in many English-speaking regions today.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*kuntōn
“female genitalia”
Reconstructed form.
- Middle English
cunte
“female genitalia”
Commonly used in medical and vernacular texts without the extreme taboo status it later acquired.
- Early Modern English
cunt
“female genitalia”
The word began to be increasingly viewed as obscene and was largely removed from dictionaries.
Connections
Word parts
cunt
root
female genitalia
Related across languages
Middle Dutch
cunte
female genitalia
Old Norse
kunta
female genitalia
Middle Low German
kunte
female genitalia
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Related to cunt
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.