Interesting facts about words relating to sex!
Two things I find massively interesting are sex and language. Lovemaking and linguistics. Intercourse and etymology. So today I’m going to hit you with some sexy, sexy word facts.
Here’s a question. What do you call one of these? If you said vagina, I’m going to stop you right there. The word vagina comes from a Latin word meaning “sheath” and specifically refers to the passage from the uterus to the outside of the body. Only the opening to the vagina is actually visible in this image. The rest of it, the external bits that you can view from the outside, are called the vulva. This includes the clitoris, labia, etc.
Speaking of labia, did you know that that word is always plural? The word for just one is, apparently, “labium.”
You’ve probably heard the word “phallic”, referring to things that look like an erect penis, but did you know that there’s actually an equivalent word for stuff that looks like vulvas? Yonic comes from the Sanskrit word “yoni”, meaning vulva, and can be used to describe all sorts of things from Georgia O’Keeffe paintings to the building I used to live next to.
The word “fuck” as a euphemism for sex has been in use since at least the 1300’s. It’s believed to have its roots in Germanic languages, such as German, Dutch, Norwegian, or Swedish, though many of our earliest written examples of the word come, unsurprisingly, from Scotland. Fucking Scotland.
The word “gender” actually comes from the same French origins as the word “genre.”
“Horny” has been in use since the late 1800’s and likely comes from the common 18th century phrase “to have the horn”– i.e. an erection.
The word “dildo” comes from the late 16th century, though etymologists have little concrete understanding of its history. A couple of theories are that it’s a corruption of the Italian word diletto, meaning “delight” or that it came from a word for a peg inserted into the side of a rowboat to lock an oar in place. This nautical origin could explain the Newfoundland harbor town called Dildo and the nearby Dildo Island.
Something really weird throughout history has been the association between women and cats. Even now, cats are often viewed as feminine (and, weirdly, sexy) animals. Mean women are called “catty.” We have girls named and nicknamed Kat and Kitty. So it should come as no surprise that a word for cat is also used as slang for the genitalia most often associated with women. And this isn’t just in English – German, French, and Dutch all use words for cats as slang terms for vulvas and vaginas.
Finally, the origins of the word pornography are mostly boring and just stem from old words for sex work, but in researching that I learned that in 1860 theologians coined the word pornocracy, or “Rule of the Harlots”. This described a period in the early 10th century when Popes were regularly breaking their chastity vow and taking orders from Roman nobility. Popes can’t keep it in their pants, yet somehow women get all the blame. There’s some vintage misogyny for ya.
So those are some of the most interesting etymological facts I know about sex. If you’ve got any more, definitely share down in the comments! Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time!
