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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  November 15, 2009 06:09 AM

What is the original meaning of 'FUCK' that is so abused today?

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November 15, 2009 08:08 AM
Well, as a Dutchman, the word 'Fuck' is very familiar. We have a word called 'Fokken', which means 'to breed cattle'. That word is used to date in our language.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, that's indeed also the most probable origin:
--quote--
Main Entry: 1f--k
Pronunciation: \ˈfək\
Function: verb
Etymology: akin to Dutch fokken to breed (cattle), Swedish dial. fókka to copulate
Date: circa 1503

intransitive verb 1 usually obscene : copulate
2 usually vulgar : mess 3 —used with withtransitive verb 1 usually obscene : to engage in coitus with —sometimes used interjectionally with an object (as a personal or reflexive pronoun) to express anger, contempt, or disgust
2 usually vulgar : to deal with unfairly or harshly : cheat, screw
--unquote--
Source(s):
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/FUCK


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November 15, 2009 11:56 AM
---quote---
The word has probable cognates in other Germanic languages, such as German ficken (to f--k); Dutch fokken (to breed, to strike, to beget); dialectal Norwegian fukka (to copulate), and dialectal Swedish fokka (to strike, to copulate) and fock (penis). This points to a possible etymology where Common Germanic fuk– comes from an Indo-European root meaning "to strike", cognate with non-Germanic words such as Latin pugnus "fist".] By reverse application of Grimm's law, this hypothetical root has the form *pug–. In early Proto-Germanic the word was likely used at first as a slang or euphemistic replacement for an older word for intercourse, and then became the usual word for intercourse. Yet another possible etymology is from the Old High German word pfluog, meaning "to plow, as in a field" (similar pronunciation to ""fuk-"", the sexual euphemism being obvious). This is supported in part by a book by Carl Jung, Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido, in which he discusses the "primitive play of words" and the phallic representation of the plough, including its appearance on a vase found in an archaeological dig near Florence, Italy, which depicts six ithyphallic men (erect penises) carrying a plow.
---end of quote---
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck


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November 15, 2009 05:47 PM
The problem is, it's hard to know its exact origin and meaning because it's been taboo for so long (it was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary only in the 16th century). However, because other languages that are part of the Germanic family (such as Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch) have similar words with similar meanings, it is most likely of Germanic origin (Norwegian for "copulate" is "fukka," Swedish for "copulate" or "push" is "fokka," and Dutch for "to breed" is "fokken").

It may perhaps come from the Indo-European word base "peuk-" (meaning "strike") as it seems phonetically related to "f*ck," but no one's exactly sure.

Another theory is that it came from the Middle English "fkye" or "fike" (meaning "fidget," but also "flirt"), which is most likely decended from the Middle Dutch "fokken" (which we've seen earlier, originally it meant "to itch").

There are a few other interesting theories on Etymonline, as well as Wiktionary, both articles I've linked in my sources. If you have any questions about the terminology in the Etymonline article (it can get pretty dense), just send me a private question. :)
Source(s):
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Fuck
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Fuck


Tags: linguistics, etymology

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