# Why is there no standard English equivalent for the "f-word"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502 "2006-12-01T18:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/1 "2006-12-01T18:25:17Z")
Why is there no standard English equivalent for the “f-word”? Many of the common “four-letter Anglo-Saxonisms” have standard English equivalents that can be used in polite company or on television. Examples: cock -\> penis cunt -\> vagina shit -\> feces (noun), defecate (verb) The exception seems to be “fuck”. I have found no standard English (that is, non-slang) word to use in the sentence, “He went home to \_\_\_\_\_ his wife.” Words like “bang”, “screw”, and “nail” can be used on TV but are slang or euphemisms, not standard English. “Have sexual intercourse with” and “have sex with” are phrases, not a single word. “Fornicate” is standard but implies sex outside of marriage and can’t be used as a transitive verb. Is there a standard English equivalent word, not phrase? If not, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/2 "2006-12-01T18:29:26Z")
impregnate? ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/3 "2006-12-01T18:29:43Z")
I think you ignoring phrases is the trouble. Lots of things cannot be expressed in just one word. If it was the case that everything could be said in one word, then we’d have a really enormous vocabulary, and every sentence would be really short. So yes, “have sex with” is what you’re going to be stuck with. It just so happens that the 3 words you chose as examples happen to have one-word “proper” equivalents. And fuck doesn’t. That’s language for you. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/4 "2006-12-01T18:30:06Z")
copulate ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/5 "2006-12-01T18:30:33Z")
> [@](#): > > The exception seems to be “fuck”. I realize it’s not four letters, but what’s the “polite” word for _felch_? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/6 "2006-12-01T18:30:34Z")
These euphemisms are all latin synonyms for the “crude” anglo-saxon words. So the anglo-saxon word is “fuck”, the latin equivalent is “copulate”. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/7 "2006-12-01T18:30:51Z")
I’m sorry to have to break this to you, but not every concept can be expressed in English with a single word. That’s why we have [phrasal verbs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrasal_verbs). And there are [a ton of them](http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslphrasal.html). There’s nothing special about fuck. ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/8 "2006-12-01T18:35:24Z")
[QUOTE=x-ray vision] copulate [/QUOTE] “He went home to copulate his wife?” Don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/9 "2006-12-01T18:38:09Z")
[QUOTE=jebert] “He went home to copulate his wife?” Don’t think so. [/QUOTE] Why not? You might be more familiar with "to copulate _with_ his wife, but I think “to copulate his wife” is still proper English, as is “to know his wife”. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/10 "2006-12-01T18:42:11Z")
Swive. Look it up:D ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/11 "2006-12-01T18:43:28Z")
do ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/12 "2006-12-01T18:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] I realize it’s not four letters, but what’s the “polite” word for _felch_? [/QUOTE] “Gulp”? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/13 "2006-12-01T18:55:31Z")
[QUOTE=jebert] “He went home to copulate his wife?” Don’t think so. [/QUOTE] However, the sentence “He went home to copulate’” is perfectly correct. The problem (which is not really a problem) only arises if you insist on specifying the partner involved in the act. You might as well say there is no proper English word for “talk” since you have to say “talk with” if you specify another person involved. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/14 "2006-12-01T18:57:27Z")
I remember in fourth grade, history class came after sex ed. This would have no bearing normally, but when the poor lad assigned to read that day’s lesson said: “Under Alexander the Great, intercourse among the nations was the greatest ever”, the class laughed and he turned beet red. ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/15 "2006-12-01T18:59:15Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] I’m sorry to have to break this to you, but not every concept can be expressed in English with a single word. That’s why we have [phrasal verbs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrasal_verbs). And there are [a ton of them](http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslphrasal.html). There’s nothing special about fuck. [/QUOTE] Unsatisfying. Most of the examples have single word equivalents: drop off -\> decline drop out -\> stop [QUOTE=Jayrot] Swive. Look it up. [/QUOTE] I did. It’s not in my Webster’s New Collegiate or American Heritage. I did find it on-line. Fortunately, it’s transitive. Unfortunately it’s archaic. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/16 "2006-12-01T19:02:05Z")
[QUOTE=alanak] I think you ignoring phrases is the trouble. Lots of things cannot be expressed in just one word. [/QUOTE] I’ve thought for a while that there ought to be an adjective, analogous to “hungry,” “thirsty,” “sleepy,” or “horny,” for the feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/17 "2006-12-01T19:02:41Z")
Are “copulate” and “know” not working for you? ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/18 "2006-12-01T19:03:18Z")
Sorry. That second quote should have been ascribed to **chowder.** ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/19 "2006-12-01T19:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=x-ray vision] Are “copulate” and “know” not working for you? [/QUOTE] “Know” is transtive. “Copulate” is not. You could look it up. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502/20 "2006-12-01T19:09:27Z")
[QUOTE=jebert] “Know” is transtive. “Copulate” is not. You could look it up. [/QUOTE] Okay, so “know” works for you? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-standard-english-equivalent-for-the-f-word/382502.md?page=2)