Where, When, and Why was the F word created?

Answer 1

Like most English words, the origin of the word borrows heavily from several languages, and most of the similar sounding infinitives in other languages -- according to the Wikipedia article, anyway -- seem to loosely translate to some sort of penetration (as one would expect with such a word).

IT IS NOT ANYTHING UNLAWFUL.

I'd suggest reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/****

I'd further suggest reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/****#False_etymologies

Since Yahoo censors the "F" word, even in URLs, you'll have to manually plug the offending four-letter-word into the URL for my wikipedia links.

This is the section on false etymologies, as the name suggests, and debunks the myths being put forward by answerers in this post.

And to the other people answering: If you don't know what you're talking about, don't post reply. This is how rumors are spread.

I cannot stress enough that it is NOT any sort of acronym for ANYTHING unlawful. Do a cursory search on http://www.snopes.com if the Wikipedia article isn't proof enough.

PEOPLE: BEFORE YOU REPLY, READ THIS MESSAGE. TAKE IT TO HEART. I REALLY DO KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

Answer 2

Well, actually the etymology is unknown, and there are several possibly valid explanations, but it is none of the following:

"For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge In the Nude"
"Fornication Under Carnal/Cardinal Knowledge"
"Fornication Under Control/Consent/Command of the King"
"Fornication Under the Christian King"
"False Use of Carnal Knowledge"
"Felonious Use of Carnal Knowledge"
"Felonious Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
"Full-On Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
"For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
"Found Under Carnal Knowledge"
"Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge",

Answer 3

Like what someone said before, it was created in the Middle Ages, and it's just an acronym for 'Fornication Under Carnal Knowledge.'

Answer 4

I have heard that it was an acronym for Fornication Under Consent of the King, and was the term for a special pass that British sailors could apply for back in the day to get a weekend furlough. Since most of the sailors ended up going into town and hooking up with a hooker, the term became a slang term for "doin' it."

Answer 5

The story I got was that it was an acronym which I am not remembering now, For Un---- Carnal Knowledge, that it came about in the later Middle Ages.

Answer 6

The story that sailors were punished For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is pure mythology. Actually, there's a similar verb in Latin that came down to us via the French language.