Cunt
Cunt is a vulgar term that refers to the vulva or vagina. It is, however, often used to describe a particularly nasty human being. The word may be used more frequently by males, and is considered by many to be extremely offensive. There is a small movement amongst some feminists that seek to reclaim cunt as an honorific, in much the same way that queer has been reclaimed by homosexuals.
Usage
"cunt" used as an honorific, and "thanks to the user-friendliness of the English language, 'cunt' can be used as an all new woman-centered, cuntlovin' noun, adjective or verb." (Muscio, 1998, 23)
History
"Cunt" and various derivations of the word have been in use for possible millennia in words such as 'Cunti' the name of an Oriental Great Goddess. From the same root came 'country', 'kind', and the word 'kin' which meant not only matrilinial blood relation, but also a cleft or crevice (in the rock suggesting) the Goddess'genital opening. In ancient writings the word cunt was synonymous with 'woman,' though not in the insulting modern sense. An Egyptologist was shocked to find (the word cunt in) the maxims of Ptah-Hotep." (Walker, 1983, 197)
Cunt has been back in common use since the thirteenth century. It did not appear in any major dictionary of the English language from 1795 to 1961 (when it was included in Webster's Third New International Dictionary, with the comment "usu. considered obscene"). Its first appearance in the Oxford English Dictionary was in 1972, which cites the word as having been in use since 1230.
Although Shakespeare doesn't use the word explicitly (or with derogatory meaning) in his plays, he still has fun with it, using word play to sneak it in. In Act III, Scene 2, of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, as the castle's residents are settling in to watch the play-within-the-play, Hamlet asks Ophelia, "Lady, shall I lie in your lap?" Ophelia of course, replies,"No, my lord." Hamlet, feigning shock, says, "Do you think I meant country matters?" Then, to drive home the point that the accent is definitely on the first syllable of "country," Shakespeare has Hamlet say, "That's a fair
thought, to lie between maids' legs."
Inga Muscio, the self proclaimed Cuntlovin' Ruler of her sexual universe, stands convention on its proverbial head by embracing all things cunt-related in her book: cunt - a declaration of independence. (ISBN 1-58005-015-8)
Also see Twelfth Night (Act II Scene V) "there be her very C's, her U's, and her T's: and thus makes she her great P's."
In a similar fashion, the british band The Sex Pistols recorded a song entitled Pretty Vacant, pronounced pretty vay-khunt.
One of the first persons to use the word on British television was the ITN news reader Trevor MacDonald, who accidentally mispronounced Kent.
Etymology
Related Topics
External links
- The Etymology of Sexual Slang Terms http://www.takeourword.com/pt.html
- A Cultural History of 'Cunt' http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt.html
Books
- Inga Muscio, Cunt: A declaration of Independence [Seal Press]
- Barbara G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths & Secrets" [Harper & Row]
- "Cunt", a 1999 novel by Stewart Home
Referenced By
Swear | Swearing
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