Why So Common?

Profanity is “any sort of habitually foul language.” Blasphemy, cursing, and swearing fall within the scope of this definition. Profanities express rage, even abusive condemnation. Mary Marshall, author of the book Origins & Meanings of Oaths & Swear Words, says that “oaths and swearwords belong to spoken far more than literary language.”

Insults that demean a person may unleash a spate of bad language. Included may be words that compare the target to an animal or even an insect, disparaging comments about a person’s parents or questionable ancestry, terms that call attention to certain physical characteristics, and, what may even be more offensive, obscenities, blasphemy, and sexually lewd remarks.