Our modern day English and other regional languages are filled with slangs. Words have varied roots and have evolved into their present form after undergoing different eras of cultural changes. For example, the word 'nice' originated from the French word 'nice' (not to be confused with the French port town Nice) which meant stupid! The French word 'nice' originated from the Latin word 'nescius' which meant ignorant or unaware. In turn 'nescius' was derived from the Latin word 'nescire' which meant not knowing. The basic breakdown of this word is 'ne' which meant not and 'scire' which meant to know. The Latin word 'scire' is also the one of the primary words from which the word 'science' has derived from. Now we can clearly see how cultural and language changes over a period of centuries has resulted in a complete change in the meaning of a word.
Now coming back to our word for today, 'CUNT'. Let us find out from where the word originated from and what different changes it has undergone over the years.
The present day meaning of the word cunt is varied. It can be used for referring to the female genitalia, although it is referring to the whole of it (including the clitoris) and not only the 'vagina'. Another usage of cunt is in a despising manner, or to show someone down as a stupid person. Or it can also be used as a term of camaraderie between friends. What bums me the most out of these definitions of cunt is how the present day meaning has a toxic patriarchal undertone to it. How can one address someone as stupid using the same word used to represent a woman's genitalia! It is one of the most beautiful and one of the most complex creations of the universe. It gives life! There is nothing more that 'mother' nature can try to tell you which can make the female genitalia look anything but stupid. The same mother nature which nourishes us via food and other vital essentials. It is similar to the present day meaning of the slang 'pussy' which also refers to the female genitalia and to a person who is stupid or is not strong or is a chicken. To be completely honest and fair, I have been guilty of using both the slangs with the very same connotations in the past, but I have moved on from that after learning how wrong I was.
In ancient writings the word for “cunt” was synonymous with “woman,” in a reverence manner and not in the insulting manner of the modern society. One of the first citation is in Egyptian/Moorish culture. One of the maxims of 'Ptah-Hotep' used the word to respect woman.
The first recorded usage in English of the cunt was in 1230. A red-light district street in London was called “Gropecunt Lane” (Same origin from the where the word grope comes from). Over the years the word began to filter its way into English literature where it became a word centered on the idea of female sexuality/genitalia. 'Canterbury Tales' used the word “queynte”(pronounce the 'queyn' like quen-ch and 'te' as 't'). In a way Shakespeare used the word too. In several of his plays he alluded to cunt often in word play, but none of his character ever actually said the word. He left it up to his audience to hear the word in the dialogue where the sounds of the word, or very similar sounds, were replicated.
It is absolutely astonishing how a word which had such a positive meaning has now become a derogatory term used to look down on someone. I hope you guys enjoyed this small little post, have promised myself to keep churning at least 1 post per week. Don't forget to subscribe to the mailing list!
Peace.
Addenum:
Kunti,in Hinduism is an ancient goddess of fertility, she is the sister of Krishna’s father. She is a pivotal character in the Mahabharata, as the mother of the Pandavas, whom she gave birth without her husband King Pandu's sexual contribution. She symbolises and epitomizes female generative power as per the root sense of her character. Her powers are so strong and divine that she can conceive anytime and have a painless child birth. This reminds me of the uncanny similarity of Kunti to the immaculate conception of Mother Mary with Christ! Kunti & Mary are probably one of the most divine yoni's if not the most divine. (NOTE: Yoni translates to 'source of all life') The phonetic similarity of 'kunt-i' and cunt is not to be missed, and the depiction of Kunti as a revered character shows us again how cunt as a word has no historical negative connotation.
Interestingly I checked up on the word 'vagina' as well. It is rooted in the Latin word 'cunnus', meaning 'sword sheath', which essentially means a sheath for the penis, which is being referred to as a sword. Now I know this may sound patriarchal and misogynistic to a lot of people out there, but go with the meaning and its allegorical spiritual reference. A sword without the sheath is of lesser use because it'll catch rust, similarly a sheath without the sword is of lesser use because it is not doing its objective. My point being both need each other to complete the puzzle. To balance the yin with the yang, the above with the below, the negative with the positive.
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