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by junie8119 on January 8th, 2005

junie8119

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Why are female dogs called bitches?

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  • by katscratcedme on January 11th, 2005

    katscratcedme

    This same question was posed on another site some time ago and Eric Maass posted this illuminating reply:

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    Actually, I think the real question is why that term is applied as a slang, derogatory term to female humans.

    The actual, primary meaning of the word "bitch" was a female dog, or more generally a female canine (female wolf, female coyote, and so forth).

    The origin of the term is apparently from old Norse, bikkja, or old German bekjon, through Old English, bicce, through Middle English, bicche, to the modern English spelling and pronunciation.

    In various forms, then, this term for a female dog has been in use for over a thousand years.

    In slang, sometimes for pleasant reasons and some times as derogatory terms about
    other people, there is a tendency to use words that come from terms about animals.

    So, for example, men have been referred to as pigs ("male chauvinist pigs").

    A more pleasant example: children are often referred to as "kids", which actually means young goats - parallel to the origin of the term "bitch" given earlier: kid is originally from Old Norse, kidh (young goat) or Old German, kidhja, through Middle English kide or kyde, also meaning young goat.

    Modern English – bitch/kid
    Middle English – bicche/kide or kyde
    Old English – bicce/kide
    Old Norse – bikkja/kidh
    Old German – bekjon/kidhja

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