Are you a wattle-head? Have you ever had poop-noddy? Historical thesaurus reveals how 800,000 English words have evolved


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Today the word 'pug' is most commonly known as a breed of dog, but in the 16th century it was used as a term of endearment.

If you wanted to insult someone 300 years ago, the best way was to call them a 'wattle-head', or a 'shallow-pate'. And having sex has previously been known as 'commixtion', 'mollocking' and even 'poop noddy'.

All of these terms are among the 800,000 now available online on the Historical Thesaurus that spans more than 1,000 years of the English language. 

The Historical Thesaurus, created by the University of Glasgow, features 800,000 words from 1,000 years of the English language. More than 230 linguists have spent 50 years compiling the list. Work on the list began on 15 January 1965, and, according to the university, it is the world's only complete historical thesaurus online

The Historical Thesaurus, created by the University of Glasgow, features 800,000 words from 1,000 years of the English language. More than 230 linguists have spent 50 years compiling the list. Work on the list began on 15 January 1965, and, according to the university, it is the world's only complete historical thesaurus online

The Historical Thesaurus of English was created by the University of Glasgow.

More than 230 linguists have spent the past 50 years - to the day - compiling the list, and the online site is a digital version of the Historical Thesaurus of English Project, which was published in 2009.

Work on the list began on 15 January 1965, and, according to the university, it is the world's only complete historical thesaurus published in any language.

HOW TO USE THE THESAURUS 

The Historical Thesaurus is organised into three major sections - the External World, the Mental World, and the Social World. 

These are then divided into 377 major categories, such as Food, Thought, or War. 

For example, 'sexual intercourse' is categorised in 'The Social World', 'Physical sensation', 'Sexual relations' and 'Sexual activity'.

Within these categories, words which share a high proportion of meaning are collected, and presented chronologically. 

Each word is accompanied by its dates of recorded use.  

Words on the list have been categorised, and people can either search for individual words or browse categories.

For example, searching for the term 'sweetheart' reveals the current and historical variations under the 'terms of endearment' category.

Other terms in this category include 'my ding-ding', which first appeared in the 1564 'Dialogue against the Fever Pestilence' work by William Bullein.

Pug was used from around 1580, and as well as being a term of endearment, was later used to describe a prostitute.

Meanwhile, 'flitter-mouse' was used in Ben Jonson's comedy play, The Alchemist, in 1612, in which Mr Jonson wrote: 'My fine Flitter-mouse, My Bird o' the night.'

Other categories reveal varies ways to call someone stupid, including idiot, scant-brain, wattle-head, shallow-pate and underhead. 

The term 'flitter-mouse' was first used in Ben Jonson's comedy play, The Alchemist, in 1612, in which Mr Jonson wrote: 'My fine Flitter-mouse, My Bird o' the night.' It was used as a term of endearment. This image shows actors performing in Mr Jonson's play, painted by Johann Zoffany in 1770 

The term 'flitter-mouse' was first used in Ben Jonson's comedy play, The Alchemist, in 1612, in which Mr Jonson wrote: 'My fine Flitter-mouse, My Bird o' the night.' It was used as a term of endearment. This image shows actors performing in Mr Jonson's play, painted by Johann Zoffany in 1770 

Other categories reveal varies ways to call someone stupid, including, scant-brain, wattle-head and underhead. Each word is accompanied by its dates of recorded use and an origin (pictured)

Other categories reveal varies ways to call someone stupid, including, scant-brain, wattle-head and underhead. Each word is accompanied by its dates of recorded use and an origin (pictured)

The term wedlock, to describe marriage, was first used in around 1225 and has since become common place in literature and law.

Other words for marriage include spousage, which was used throughout the 15th century, shackledom from 1771, and bed-match.

Bed-match appeared in 1582 in poetry from the First Four Books of Aeneis.

During marriage, people may have taken part in mixtion, copulation and 'venus play' - all of which were ways of describing sex during the 15th and 16th century.

The term wedlock, to describe marriage, was first used in around 1225 and has since become common place in literature and law. The official description from the Oxford English Dictionary is pictured. Other words for marriage include spousage, which was used throughout 15th century, shackledom from 1771, and bed-match

The term wedlock, to describe marriage, was first used in around 1225 and has since become common place in literature and law. The official description from the Oxford English Dictionary is pictured. Other words for marriage include spousage, which was used throughout 15th century, shackledom from 1771, and bed-match

During marriage, people may have taken part in mixtion, copulation and 'venus play' - all of which were ways of describing sex during the 15th and 16th century.
And when a marriage ended, divorce was also referred to as asundering, singling and shedding, which may have led to fighting - or luctation and decertation

During marriage, people may have taken part in mixtion, copulation and 'venus play' - all of which were ways of describing sex during the 15th and 16th century (left).  And when a marriage ended, divorce was also referred to as asundering, singling and shedding, which may have led to fighting - or luctation and decertation (right)

Although 'pug' is a breed of dog, it was used from around 1580 as term of endearment, and was later used to describe a prostitute

Although 'pug' is a breed of dog, it was used from around 1580 as term of endearment, and was later used to describe a prostitute

And when a marriage ended, divorce was also referred to as asundering, singling and shedding.

Asunder first appeared in 1881 and is still often used in marriage ceremonies.

Divorce may have led to fighting, which was previously known as luctation, decertation and dimication.

Moving on to body parts, the thesaurus reveals the numerous ways in which female and male genitals have been referred to throughout history.

These include 'honey-pot', 'privy chose' and 'pocket-book' for female organs, while male organs were once referred to as a swipe, pencil and putz.

Linguistics professor David Crystal recently used the historical thesaurus to trace the history of the ways the English language has described alcohol.

In his new book, the academic revealed that the vocabulary of drinking is richer than almost any other topic - and unites English-speakers across barriers of class, age and gender.

During the Anglo-Saxon period, the words 'drunken' and 'fordrunken' were the most common ways of describing alcoholic excess, Professor Crystal writes in the book Words in Time and Place. 

Linguistics professor David Crystal recently used the historical thesaurus to trace the history of the ways the English language has described alcohol. This 15th-century manuscript shows how excessive drinking has always been popular. The earliest slang included the 14th-century 'cup-shotten', and 'inebriate' from 1497

Linguistics professor David Crystal recently used the historical thesaurus to trace the history of the ways the English language has described alcohol. This 15th-century manuscript shows how excessive drinking has always been popular. The earliest slang included the 14th-century 'cup-shotten', and 'inebriate' from 1497

However, in time there developed 'a universal trend to avoid stating the obvious', according to the author, and English-speakers began to resort to euphemisms when they discussed drinking.

The earliest slang terms included the 14th-century 'cup-shotten', meaning overcome with liquor, 'inebriate', dating back to 1497, and 'bousy' - a forerunner of the modern 'booze', borrowed from Dutch and first recorded in 1529. 

Dr Marc Alexander, director of the project, said: 'The Historical Thesaurus of English is a unique resource charting the semantic development of the huge and varied vocabulary of English.

'We hope that this will be of great use to historians, writers and linguists, but we also encourage anyone with an interest in the English language and its history - or just the history of the English-speaking peoples - to explore this fascinating resource.'

PHRASES FOR A FOOL 

Hoddypeak (1500): Based on an old word for a snail's shell. The horns of a snail were associated with the 'cuckold's horns' which denoted a husband whose wife was unfaithful.

Nincompoop (1673): The suffix 'poop' was used as a verb meaning to deceive. 'Nin' could be a reference to the word 'ninny', or it could denote the name 'Nick'.

Silly billy (1834): This rhyming phrase was often adopted by clowns who 'acted the fool' alongside a straight man. It became attached as a term of abuse to prominent people called William, most famously King William IV.

Plonker (1981): Popularised by Only Fools and Horses, where main character Del Boy used it as a term of abuse for his sidekick Rodney. Earlier in the 20th century, the word was a slang term for penis.

Numpty (1988): Possibly an abbreviation of 'numbskull', with the ending adapted by analogy with the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. First used in Scotland.

DESCRIPTIONS OF DEATH 

Give up the ghost (Old English): This phrase dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, when 'gast' (ghost) was commonly used to mean spirit or soul.

Pass (1340): To say that someone has 'passed' is considered sensitive language in North America - it first appeared in the 14th century, and was popularised by Shakespeare in King Lear.

Bite the dust (1697): This phrase was also rendered as 'bite the ground' and 'bite the sand' when it was first used by writers such as Dryden and Pope. It is based on the image of a soldier falling to the ground during battle.

Snuff out (1864): Based on the metaphor of extinguishing a candle. The phrase, transformed into 'snuff it', is now usually used in a casual context.

Meet your maker (1933): Despite the apparently archaic nature of this phrase, it was first used by American crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers.

TERMS FOR THE TOILET 

Privy (1225): Taken from the French 'privée', meaning private place. This was for many years the main word used to describe the toilet.

Jakes (1530s): The etymology of this word is unclear, but it may derive from the name Jaques. It is now mostly heard in regional dialects.

Water closet (1755): A euphemistic term, usually abbreviated to WC, which alludes to the small size of most toilets - comparable to a closet.

Outhouse (1819): Originally meant any building outside, but became attached to toilets during the time when they were commonly installed in separate buildings near the main home.

Loo (1940): Another obscure origin. It could be an abbreviation of 'Waterloo', or come from the French 'l'eau', as an allusion to 'water'. Commonly associated with the genteel middle class.

MEANINGS OF MONEY 

Money (1325): Even though this is by far the most common word today, it did not enter English until the 14th century. In the early days of banknotes, 'money' was sometimes used to refer only to coins.

Mammon (1539): A name for the Devil in the Bible. It became the personification of greed, and for several centuries was also used to mean money or riches in a more general sense.

Mopus (1699): Taken from a German word for bread, this was the name of a small coin. The phrase 'having the mopusses' is used now in the Midlands and North of England.

Dough (1851): This ancient word became a slang term for money in the US during the 19th century, and was then imported into the UK by Arthur Conan Doyle and P.G. Wodehouse.

Lolly (1943): 'Lollipop' was Cockney rhyming slang for 'drop', which referred to money given as a tip.



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