asshole
Sign in to saveAlso known as arsehole
The word asshole (in North American English) or arsehole (in all other major varieties of the English language) is a vulgarism used to describe the anus, and often used pejoratively (as a type of synecdoche) to refer to people.
Key facts
- Profanity.name
- Asshole arsehole
- Profanity.etymology
- Compound of ass or arse and hole
- Profanity.literal
- Anus
- Profanity.figurative
- A stupid, incompetent, unpleasant, or detestable person
via Wikipedia infobox
~5 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History
- Semantics
- Political usage
- See also
- References
- Further reading
The word asshole (in North American English) or arsehole (in all other major varieties of the English language) is a vulgarism used to describe the anus, and often used pejoratively (as a type of synecdoche) to refer to people.
== History == The word arse in English derives from the Proto-Germanic (reconstructed) word *arsaz, from the Proto-Indo-European word *ors-, meaning "buttocks" or "backside". The combined form arsehole is first attested from 1500 in its literal use to refer to the anus. The word evolved from "arce-hoole" (circa 1400), as in Old English, the Latin word "anus" was glossed with earsðerl, literally "arse-thrill" (thrill being a noun with the original meaning of "hole" such as in nostril, meaning "nose hole").