How did the phrase “swear word” come to refer to vulgar language?
It’s my understanding that “swear” is derived from “oath”, as prior to the modern era blasphemous profanity was considered more severe than the scatological.
Yes, the original swear words would have been profane oaths like “By God” or “In the name of Jesus”. Taking the Lord’s name very much in vain.
Od’s Bodkin!
And, the shorthand “swear word” only appears around the late 1800s, and is originally US in origin.
I’ve also heard that the US and other English speaking countries are somewhat unique in using sexual or excretory functions as profane words. Most other societies use blasphemous or otherwise declaring to a deity as those words which are “no-nos” in polite society.
I think that’s a bit of a sweeping statement. Of the few non-English languages of which I have more than a passing knowledge (French, Italian, Cantonese), most swearing is based primarily around penises, shit, and whether or not one’s mother is a prostitute.
Putain, merde, putana, cazzo, diu leh lo mo. That said, the worst insults in Italian are to do with cursing God, and the worst ones in Cantonese are to do with your ancestors rotting, which is semi-religious - but they’re certainly not the most common.