This gives Michael Jackson's "BAD" a whole knew meaning

Check out the etymology of the word bad (via Volokh Conspiracy who got it from Language Log) :
Prof. Zupitza, with great probability, sees in bad-de (2 syll.) the ME. repr. of OE. bæddel ‘homo utriusque generis, hermaphrodita’ ... and the derivative bædling ‘effeminate fellow, womanish man ...’ applied contemptuously; assuming a later adjectival use, as in yrming, wrecca, and loss of final l as in mycel, muche, lytel, lyte, wencel, wench(e. This perfectly suits the ME. form and sense, and accounts satisfactorily for the want of early written examples. And it is free from the many historical and phonetic difficulties of the derivation proposed by Sarrazin [which ends up relating it to an OE. word meaning ‘forced, oppressed’] .... No other suggestion yet offered is of any importance; the Celtic words sometimes compared are out of the question.
Oh snap!
English | Homophobia | Homosexuality | Language





























Vedy interesting...
Not sure of half of what I read there but a couple words did jump out. Wowza!!
...wonder if he did this research.
Thanks for sharing!