Lola
06-21-2004, 03:40 AM
Q.: Where did the word asshole originate from and what's the story?
- Stefanie W.
A.: This one's been around for a long time. The use of asshole as a derogatory word can be traced back to the 14th century, where the term arse-hoole (from Latin and Anglo-Saxon origins) referred to a person's anus (the reference still carries today). At the time, the use of the word "arse" was not to be used in conversation, and was printed only after replacing the consonants with hyphens (a--e). Arsehole was predominantly used by lower income people and those who lived in the streets. Today, the spellings with "arse" and "ass" (the UK and US versions, respectively) are essentially interchangeable.
- Stefanie W.
A.: This one's been around for a long time. The use of asshole as a derogatory word can be traced back to the 14th century, where the term arse-hoole (from Latin and Anglo-Saxon origins) referred to a person's anus (the reference still carries today). At the time, the use of the word "arse" was not to be used in conversation, and was printed only after replacing the consonants with hyphens (a--e). Arsehole was predominantly used by lower income people and those who lived in the streets. Today, the spellings with "arse" and "ass" (the UK and US versions, respectively) are essentially interchangeable.