Origins of Bad Words: Part 2
Origins of the word ass.
Ass is an interesting case of convergent etymology. Two words with different origins merged into one wonderful ass, which is why ass can mean either a donkey or buttocks.
Let’s start with the donkey.
Ass, meaning donkey, can be traced back to old English. Old English is a linguistic period of around 450 to 1066 CE. CE stands for the Common Era, the time period we are in now. BCE (before the Common Era) and CE are secular versions of BC (Before Christ) and AD (after Death).
You might have heard that Shakespeare wrote in Old English. We’ll get to Shakespeare’s magical ass shortly, but this is a common misconception. Shakespeare wrote in Middle English. Old English sounds completely foreign to us modern English speakers.
In Old English, assa meant donkey. Many European languages have similar examples. For example, Old French has asne. Most European languages come from Latin. English borrows heavily from these romantic languages, but English is more like three little languages in a trench coat.
Asinus is the Latin word for that domesticated equine.
The Bible has so many asses in it. 76, to be exact!
The Bible was originally written in Latin. So the King James version, the most widespread version today, translated asinus to ass. Genesis 22:3, “and Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass…” This was 1611, long before ass became the bad word we know today.
However, it was an insult to compare someone to a Donkey.
Shakespeare’s Magically Ass.
In Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595-1596), the naughty Nick Bottom is magically transformed into a donkey. The magical creature, Pluck, does this to make fun of and punish him for his bad behavior.
Midsummer Night’s Dream is largely credited for creating the idiom, "making an ass out of oneself."
Ass as Buttocks.
Ass, as we know and love it today, took off in the 1930s. However, it originated as an evolution of arse. They still use arse across the pond, but the American dialect got ass in 1860 by dropping the “r.” We actually get a lot of words from dropping the “r.” Burst/bust, curse/cuss, and barse/bass, just to name a few.
Arse stayed the same from Middle English. In the 14th century, the saying arse-winning meant earning money through sex work.
“It’s a tough livin’ arse-winning!”
Arse comes from the Old English word ærs.
Ærs more or less means buttocks. However, its primary use was referring to animal buttocks.
Ass goes back even further!
Ærs is traced to the Proto-Germanic word arsoz, still referring to buttocks. Proto-Germanic is a linguistic period from 500 BCE to 500 CE and roughly collates with the Nordic Bronze Age. For content, the Roman civilization started its republic in 510 BCE.
Moral of the Story: Be Grateful for my Ass.
There are plenty of copywriters out there, and even some AIs. But who among them takes you along a historical, ass-filled journey?