Henneth Annûn Story Archive

I seem to remember a word, swive, that I thought was an archaic verb for sexual intercourse. But I can't find it in online dictionaries. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Any other old-fashioned words for the act come to mind? The other alternative I can come up with is "couple" - I'd prefer a fairly earthy, but not four-letter type word, for the verb. Raksha The Demon

 

Raksha, your mind is not playing tricks on you. "Swive" is a word of proud, noble ancestry and means "to copulate or copulate with." As a matter of fact, I am planning to use it in works of my own. The word is used in Chaucer and other period works. For more details, go to http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19990127 By the way, this is my first reply here and I am having trouble with italics. Could someone please help?

 

By the way, this is my first reply here and I am having trouble with italics. Could someone please help? Ah, something I can help with! To italicize text, surround it with the HTML commands <i> and </i> For example, the text: This word is <i>italicized</i>. Displays as: This word is italicized. - Barbara

 

Barbara, Thank you for your help. I know the HTML codes for making webpages. Now for a little test: Testing italics

 

Raksha, your mind is not playing tricks on you. "Swive" is a word of proud, noble ancestry and means "to copulate or copulate with." As a matter of fact, I am planning to use it in works of my own. The word is used in Chaucer and other period works. For more details, go to http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19990127 By the way, this is my first reply here and I am having trouble with italics. Could someone please help? Thanx, Easterling! Would you believe that the last time I remember even paying attention to Chaucer was 1977? I never was very fond of his work. I can't remember specifically seeing the word since. And thanx for the URL... RAKSHA

 

I believe "tup" is also an arachic word you might find useful in your scenario. Although I'm personally a big fan of "tumble".

 

Raksha, I am glad I could be of assistance. It has been longer than that since I read any Chaucer and only because it was a required topic in college English.

 

EdorasLass, many of the characters in my tales enjoy taking tumbles frequently. However, there are some serious problems with the use of the word tup when refering to humans. I looked the word up on Merriam Webster Dictionary and found this definition: Main Entry: tup Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): tupped; tup·ping Date: 1604 chiefly British : to copulate with (a ewe) The word might be appropriate in some cases but not all, I would think.

 

For some interesting etymological background on swive see these two entries in the Online Etymology Dictionary. ~Nessime *who likewise hasn't read Chaucer since high school

 

...there are some serious problems with the use of the word tup when refering to humans. It's use seems to be rather popular in certain historical novels, usually centered around the Scots. Online Etymology Dictionary has no entry for tup, but Dictionary.com has the same info as Merriam-Webster Online, with this addition:

v. tupped, tup·ping, tups v. tr. To copulate with (a ewe). Used of a ram.

It's noteworthy that it's generally the males who use this term - for whatever that's worth. ~Nessime

 

. tupped, tup·ping, tups v. tr. To copulate with (a ewe). Used of a ram. It's noteworthy that it's generally the males who use this term - for whatever that's worth. Heh. I would imagine that the women didn't much use any word for it. But I would think it likely that "tup" would used by those raised in an agricultural environment. Probably fairly colloquial slang, maybe not used by those in, say, Minas Tirith, but could be in usage in the Shire.

 

It has been longer than that since I read any Chaucer and only because it was a required topic in college English. Wow. Suddenly I feel like a complete baby around here. Nice switch from most of the boards I frequent where I tend to be the virtual grandma, these days... *meanwhile, writes notes for her ever-expanding vocabulary.* ^_^ Berz.

 

Wow. Suddenly I feel like a complete baby around here. Nice switch from most of the boards I frequent where I tend to be the virtual grandma, these days... Berz, I have been the virtual grandfather on boards for so many years that I have gotten used to it. Here is another word on vocabulary building topic. There is "sporting" or "sport." According to the American Heritage Dictionary, this is "Obsolete. Amorous dalliance; lovemaking."

 

Heeee! The things we can learn at HASA Resources - archaic words for sexual intercourse! Somehow I don't think this is what Tolkien had in mind, but it makes sense that occasionally some of the characters might actually use the words as well as do the deed. Not the Dunedain though, Northern or Southern - they just look at each other gravely, kiss their brides on the brow and hey! presto - produce a son at the appropriate time. RAKSHA THE DEMON, who thinks Sam and Rosie must have had a very happy marriage

 

Heeee! The things we can learn at HASA Resources - archaic words for sexual intercourse! Archaic and/or arcane terms for sexual intercourse? Let's see... There's hump (specifically the 3rd definition):

n. 3. Vulgar Slang. The act or an instance of having sexual intercourse. v. humped, hump·ing, humps v. tr. 3. Vulgar Slang. To engage in sexual intercourse with.

Merriam-Webster.com shows it as the first definition for the transitive verb: 1 often vulgar : to copulate with. But it omits the slang definition for hump as a noun. At Online Etymology Dictionary the entry for hump notes: [the] verb meaning "to do the sex act with" is attested from 1785, but the source of this indicates it is an older word. Then there's the other one the scriptwriters latched onto for the movie version of Rob Roy: shag. Merriam-Webster.com doesn't give a definition that fits this context, but Dictionary.com does:

v. Chiefly British Vulgar Slang shagged, shag·ging, shags v. tr. To engage in sexual intercourse with. v. intr. To engage in sexual intercourse.

Dictionary.com gives the same definition for the noun sport that BlackEasterling cited: 9 Obsolete. Amorous dalliance; lovemaking. That meaning is not attested at Online Etymology Dictinary, though it's easy to see from the etymological background why it would be employed as a slang term for casual sex. I'm sure there are more - I'm still mulling over the possible reasons why a certain writer of historical romances chose to use tupping. And I seem to remember an LJ post by another friend who is also a scholar of Old English about the use of fuck - not my personal favorite as it has been used to death here in modern times, yet it does have quite an interesting and historical background according to Online Etymology Dictionary. Me, I'm all for a good old fashioned tumble in the hay. I think it likely that's where Farmer Maggot and his good wife used to dally in their younger days. ~Nessime

 

I forgot all about "sport"! I remember hearing/reading several times in Westerns prostitutes referred to as "sportin' women".

 

Doesn't Shakespeare use 'There was good sport at his making', in King Lear?

 

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