In English, swear words and curse words like shit have a Germanic root, as likely does fuck, though damn and piss come from Old French and ultimately Latin. The more technical and polite alternatives are often Latin in origin, such as defecate or excrete (for shit) and fornicate or copulate (for fuck).

What makes a cuss word a cuss word?

For a word to qualify as a swear word it must have the potential to offend – crossing a cultural line into taboo territory. As a general rule, swear words originate from taboo subjects. ... These words are uttered so rarely that they still have the power to make people cringe.

Why was profanity created?

No one invented swearing. We've probably always had words that we use to express strong emotions. ... Before the 15th century – which is when swearing first appeared in writing – most writing was done by monks, and they were too good, and their work too important, for them to write down swear words.