On-line Etymology Dictionary "slut"

[ismnotwasm]

c.1400, "a dirty, slovenly, or untidy woman," according to OED "Of doubtful origin," but probably cognate with dialectal German Schlutt "slovenly woman," dialectal Swedish slata "idle woman, slut," and Dutch slodde "slut," slodder "a careless man," but the exact relationship of all these is obscure. Chaucer uses sluttish (late 14c.) in reference to the appearance of an untidy man. Also "a kitchen maid, a drudge" (mid-15c.; hard pieces in a bread loaf from imperfect kneading were called slut's pennies, 18c.).

Specific modern sense of "woman who enjoys sex in a degree considered shamefully excessive" is by 1966. Meaning "woman of loose character, bold hussy" is attested from mid-15c., but the primary association through 18c. was untidiness. Johnson has it (second definition) as "A word of slight contempt to a woman" but sexual activity does not seem to figure into his examples. Playful use of the word, without implication of messiness or loose morals, is attested by 1660s:
My wife called up the people to washing by four o'clock in the morning; and our little girl Susan is a most admirable slut, and pleases us mightily, doing more service than both the others, and deserves wages better. [Pepys, diary, Feb. 21, 1664]
Compare playful use of scamp, etc., for boys. Sometimes used 19c. as a euphemism for bitch to describe a female dog.

There is a group of North Sea Germanic words in sl- that mean "sloppy," and also "slovenly woman" and, less often, "slovenly man," and that tend to evolve toward "woman of loose morals." Compare slattern, also English dialectal slummock "a dirty, untidy, or slovenly person" (1861), variant of slammacks "slatternly woman," said to be from slam "ill-shaped, shambling fellow." Also slammakin (from 1756 as a type of loose gown; 1785 as "slovenly female," 1727 as a character name in Gay's "Beggar's Opera&quot , with variants slamkin, slammerkin. Also possibly related are Middle Dutch slore "a sluttish woman," Dutch slomp, German schlampe "a slattern."

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slut

[redqueen]

1. Yep, it is a misogynist insult and no amount of stupidly trying to pretend it isn't will change that

It's hilarious to see people trying to use it against men. Are they that ignorant? Is that possible?

One thing I wonder is whether anyone using that insult about Monica supported the idiotically-named "Slut Walk" bullshit.

[ismnotwasm]

2. Exactly

I like the history of words: word evolve and change, reflect "cultural freight" in the words of one of my favorite authors. Slut really hasn't changed too much -- it solidified into a derogatory term toward a woman's sexuality. And, as I pointed out elsewhere, it's one of the favorite words in describing pornography movies. A placeholder term so you know what women are, bad, nasty, sexually promiscuous, not worthy of concern or respect.

To even contemplate that words have no power (sticks and stones?) is ignorant. Or perhaps you see the cheery picking of the value of words-- this word is bad, this word is ok. Or the premise that it's intent that matters not word(s) themselves.

This is patent nonsense. People are intrigued, fascinated, horrified, outraged by words every day. They are very powerful.

I was gentle with the slut walk movement; I understood the intent, but I also understood it couldn't survive, not with every purchaser or pornography seeing the word in it's common usage. Not with people still naming women sluts if their sexuality was expressed-- sometimes women will call each other sluts as terms of endearment, which can't be totally comfortable.

But I'm not the language police, what bothers me is the bullshit surrounding words like slut. Someone wants to say it-- say it, but don't pretend you don't know what you're saying, unless someone is really that abysmally stupid. I don't think the users are stupid, they have to know they are probably hurting someone, or that they are using a word that has caused, and continues to cause great harm-- but there you go.

And the "anti-PC" police? Don't you EVER tell ME what to be or not to be offended by. Fuck. that. Fucking hypocrites.

[Shivering Jemmy]

3. Interesting how it used to refer more to class

But now focuses on sex.