Gia Darling needs to study some more...

[LG]

I'm not a professional linguist, but I have looked at the etymologies of taboo words in some detail as a hobby and I can tell you that none of the word "fuck" isn't an acronym. It is probably from the Middle English "fucken" or "fuken", I think which in turn is from the Saxon "ficken" meaning to beat. This in turn, may have its origins in Latin or Greek. The are similar words to "fuck", with the same meaning in Dutch, modern German and Norwegian.

I think the word was first used in its current meaning around the 16th or 17th Century but was banned from dictionaries until the mid 20th Century. Some publications would feature it with a slight change in spelling so that it could get past the censors and this has been done on TV as well ("fug", "feck" etc).

I don't think Shakespeare used the word at all. He did however use lots of sexual double-entendres and also wrote of making "the beast with two backs" (a favourite expression of mine) in Othello, I think. Shakespeare also used the words "come" (probably denoting its current sexual meaning), "bum" (British English for what Americans call an ass and what Brits spell "arse"), "make love" and "leak" (for the act of urination) and wrote of someone having a "great tool" (a big dick, to you and me).

Chaucer used the word "swyve" (I think with a "y") instead of fuck. He also used the word "shitten" which was the older version of "shitty"

See? Literature is worth a look after all.

[Ecstatic]

You beat me to it, LG. For more, see the Online Etymology Dictionary:

a difficult word to trace, in part because it was taboo to the editors of the original OED when the "F" volume was compiled, 1893-97. Written form only attested from early 16c. OED 2nd edition cites 1503, in the form fukkit; earliest appearance of current spelling is 1535 -- "Bischops ... may fuck thair fill and be vnmaryit" [Sir David Lyndesay, "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaits"], but presumably it is a much more ancient word than that, simply one that wasn't likely to be written in the kind of texts that have survived from O.E. and M.E. Buck cites proper name John le Fucker from 1278. The word apparently is hinted at in a scurrilous 15c. poem, titled "Flen flyys," written in bastard L. and M.E. The relevant line reads:

Non sunt in celi
quia fuccant uuiuys of heli

"They [the monks] are not in heaven because they fuck the wives of Ely." Fuccant is pseudo-L., and in the original it is written in cipher. The earliest examples of the word otherwise are from Scottish, which suggests a Scandinavian origin, perhaps from a word akin to Norw. dial. fukka "copulate," or Swedish dial. focka "copulate, strike, push," and fock "penis." Another theory traces it to M.E. fkye, fike "move restlessly, fidget," which also meant "dally, flirt," and probably is from a general North Sea Gmc. word, cf. M.Du. fokken, Ger. ficken "fuck," earlier "make quick movements to and fro, flick," still earlier "itch, scratch;" the vulgar sense attested from 16c. This would parallel in sense the usual M.E. slang term for "have sexual intercourse," swive, from O.E. swifan "to move lightly over, sweep" (see swivel). Chronology and phonology rule out Shipley's attempt to derive it from M.E. firk "to press hard, beat." As a noun, it dates from 1680. French foutre and Italian fottere look like the Eng. word but are unrelated, derived rather from L. futuere, which is perhaps from PIE base *bhau(t)- "knock, strike off," extended via a figurative use "from the sexual application of violent action" [Shipley; cf. the sexual slang use of bang, etc.]. Popular and Internet derivations from acronyms (and the "pluck yew" fable) are merely ingenious trifling.

- http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fuck

[LG]

You beat me to it, LG.

Yes, Ecstatic, but no matter. We are both such cunning linguists.

[Ecstatic]

Fellatio, wherefore art thou, Fellatio?

[BrendaQG]

This all reminds me of a scene from Malcolm in the middle. Reese went to work at a chicken place. The manager is explaiing to him how the cash register works. It has pictures on the buttons..

Reese: Wouldn't it be easier if there were words on the keys?

manager: Ahh....A man of letters. Better keep that to yourself. Don't want to make the others jealous.

{Funny to me even now}

The fact that such a scene is believeable says allot about us. Nothing good I'm afraid.

OTOH. I have never read shakespear either and I'm pretty damm educated, I think.

[GroobySteven]

I believe the first usage of the word "cunt" is in Taming of the Shrew - "She is blessed in manners of the cuntry/country" a double entendre to show she was a prostitute.
Or that might be a myth as I've never seen that play.

I really respect the German's for calling their airplanes Fokkers - so the RAF could repeatedly use the line "I've got the Fokker in my sight".

seanchai

[Fox]

This all reminds me of a scene from Malcolm in the middle. Reese went to work at a chicken place. The manager is explaiing to him how the cash register works. It has pictures on the buttons..

Reese: Wouldn't it be easier if there were words on the keys?

manager: Ahh....A man of letters. Better keep that to yourself. Don't want to make the others jealous.

{Funny to me even now}

The fact that such a scene is believeable says allot about us. Nothing good I'm afraid.

OTOH. I have never read shakespear either and I'm pretty damm educated, I think.

Hahaha, I remember. Love that show. <3

[Zentow386]

Well at leas Gia didn't think that Shakespeare was a women like the one lady did!

[sucka4chix]

There's a multitude of excellent reasons to read good literature.

This is a perfect example of the failure of our education system.The quoting of Shakespeare is not going to solve ANY of the problems that we will face in the future.
The biggest benefit of having such knowledge is to impress a boss or the bosses wife or to become a champion on Jeopardy.
We spend 2 years in college learning useless nonsense in the name of creating a "thinking mind" when we should be teaching people strong math and science skills AND showing them ways to turn those skills into a profitable career.
Here's another example of the failure of our education: you study spanish for 10 years-- yeah you can conjugate the hell out of a verb, but can't understand anything on Univision! Useless!

[whatsupwithat]

Well seeing as Americans invented the Microsoft Windows and/or the Linux operating system you're using, as well as the IBM based computer systems you're using, i'd say we'll let you know where the "Next screen" is. And if you're using an Apple, same goes for you, too. And your computer mouse.... and microprocessor....

You're welcome in advance.[/quote]

Dude...stop living in the past.You may not see it in your lifetime, but at the rate where going third world status is not too far away for the good old USofA.

Off to see Lou Reed perform!