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by Anonymous on July 10th, 2006

Anonymous

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How did the word "bitch" go from being a word for a female dog to being an insult?

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  • by questions-i will answer if i can on August 26th, 2008

    questions-i will answer if i can

    if anyone calls me a bitch i just say thnx because:
    a bitch is a female dog, a female dog barks, barks on a tree, tree is nature, natures beutiful

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  • by Galeanda on April 28th, 2007

    Galeanda

    The word has been used since about the 1400's. It just meant that a woman was malicious, nasty, domineering. Referring to her as if she were a dog, something nasty that you owned. You'd be showing ownership if you called them 'bitch', male or female. It was a worse insult than if you called someone a whore.

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  • by SuperWoman on July 11th, 2006

    SuperWoman

    People have just generally called people names of animals for insults (i.e. cow, pig etc.) and people called each other dogs. Bitch (the name for a female dog) was then considered a more constructive and exciting way of calling someone a dog. Then got a meaning for a certain type of person etc.

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  • by Mrs.Dufresne on August 26th, 2008

    Mrs.Dufresne

    And I have also used it to mean something "cool" and "awesome" (i.e. "Bitchin") I am fascinated by the etymology of curse words. I'll look it up and see what I can find...

    Here is a wiki about it;
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitch

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  • by singwell-is off researching a lot on April 28th, 2007

    singwell-is off researching a lot

    I think it would have been about the same time as the first human male called another male a "dog" (dogs being, from time immemorial skinny diseased things that hang around the edges of settlements) and then decided to double the insult by saying "and your wife is a bitch".

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  • by Lynette on April 28th, 2007

    Lynette

    A female dog, from the time she is in heat (BITCH) to having puppies she is moody and nasty AND SHE WILL BITE!

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  • by Mr_Natural Abstractor of the Quintessence on January 3rd, 2009

    Mr_Natural Abstractor of the Quintessence

    Dogs are very proud of their mothers (bitches). When they heard people calling their human females "bitch," the dogs were insulted. Only a female dog can be a bitch.

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  • by Inquisitive minds want to know... on August 26th, 2008

    Inquisitive minds want to know...

    I will let you hang out with my dog, Madison for a week...then you will know the answer.

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  • by philosopher-saint on January 3rd, 2009

    philosopher-saint

    Because female dogs are irascible too?!
    ;-)

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