Slut or slattern is a term applied to an individual who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. The term is generally pejorative and most often applied to women as an insult or offensive term of disparagement, meaning "dirty or slovenly."[2] However some women have demonstrated saying they're proud of being "sluts", and have given it a positive connotation.[3][4]
Contents |
Although the ultimate origin of slut is unknown, it first appeared in Middle English in 1402 as slutte (AHD), with the meaning "a dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman."[5] Even earlier, Geoffrey Chaucer used the word sluttish (c.1386) to describe a slovenly man; however, later uses appear almost exclusively associated with women.[5] The modern sense of "a sexually promiscuous woman" dates to at least 1450.[5]
Another early meaning was "kitchen maid or drudge" (c. 1450), a meaning retained as late as the 18th century, when hard knots of dough found in bread were referred to as "slut's pennies."[5] A notable example of this use is Samuel Pepys's diary description of his servant girl as "an admirable slut" who "pleases us mightily, doing more service than both the others and deserves wages better" (February 1664). In the 19th century, the word was used as a euphemism in place of "bitch" in the sense of a female dog.[5][6]
Similar words appear in Dutch, German and Swedish dialects meaning "a dirty woman," indicating a common ancestor in Germanic languages. The word entered the colloquial Yiddish as "akhsluttishkha" meaning "a hag". It exists in Ukrainian too as slutyj as a loan word from Yiddish or via the mediaeval Scandinavian Varangian colonists in Kievan Rus'. A popular theory connects slut to earlier Germanic forms meaning "slush" or "mud puddle," but this derivation remains in question.
The accepted denotative meaning is a sexually promiscuous woman[7] or "a woman of a low or loose character; a bold or impudent girl; a hussy, jade."[8] These definitions identify a slut as a person of low character — a person who lacks the ability or chooses not to exercise a power of discernment to order their affairs, such as a cad, rake, or womanizer. The adjective "slutty" carries a similar connotation, but can be applied both to people and to clothing and accessories, such as Halloween costumes.[9]
The term slut has therefore frequently been used as an insult. The derogatory power of the term derives both from its denotative meaning of a promiscuous woman, but also from its historical and regional connotations or alternate meanings that identify a slut as a dirty or unkempt person. These additional meanings and connotations are negative and identify a slut as being a slovenly and ugly person, for example, as in these quotations from OED2:
The attack on the character of the person is perhaps best brought together by the highly suggestive and related compound word, slut's-hole, meaning a place or receptacle for rubbish;[10] the associated quote provides a sense of this original meaning:
The British journalist Katharine Whitehorn wrote a famous 1963 article applying this meaning in The Observer:[11] "Have you ever taken anything out of the dirty-clothes basket because it had become, relatively, the cleaner thing? Changed stockings in a taxi? Could you try on clothes in any shop, any time, without worrying about your underclothes? How many things are in the wrong room—cups in the study, boots in the kitchen? ... [this makes] you one of us: the miserable, optimistic, misunderstood race of sluts." This article prompted a flurry of correspondence, with many women writing in to describe their own acts of sluttishness.
Slut is used as a slang term in the BDSM, polyamorous, and gay and bisexual communities.[12] With BDSM, polyamorous, and non-monogamous people, in usage taken from the book The Ethical Slut, the term has been used as an expression of choice to openly have multiple partners, and revel in that choice: "a slut is a person of any gender who has the courage to lead life according to the radical proposition that sex is nice and pleasure is good for you."[13] A slut is a person who has taken control of their sexuality and has sex with whomever they choose, regardless of religious or social pressures or conventions to conform to a straight-laced monogamous lifestyle committed to one partner for life. The term has been "taken back" to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion may judge or control one's personal liberties, and the right to control one's own sexuality.
British author Helen Fielding used the word in her Bridget Jones series to refer to slovenly or dirty habits, in the original sense still occasionally used in England: "Check plates and cutlery for tell-tale signs of sluttish washing up[...]"[14]
![]() |
Look up slut in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Slut is a German indie rock band from Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The band's lyrics are written and sung in English.
The band was founded in 1994 by Christian Neuburger (vocals, guitar), Matthias Neuburger (drums), Rainer Schaller (guitar), Gerd Rosenacker (bass guitar) and Phillip Zhang the accompanying keyboard artist. After they recorded their first album, Rene Arbeithuber (keyboard, vocals, guitar) also joined. From 1997 to 1998, along with Rene and Rainer's band, 'Pelzig', they lived and recorded in a castle near Ingolstadt. In 2002, two of their singles charted on the DAC: Easy to Love got to No. 8, and Time Is Not A Remedy hit No. 18. In 2005, Slut represented Bavaria in the Bundesvision Song Contest 2005, with the song "Why Pourquoi (I Think I Like You)", placing 12th with 17 points.
So far they have not appeared live in Britain or the USA, despite several extensive European tours to Romania, The Czech Republic, Italy and France.
The Seattle Streetcar—South Lake Union Line is a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) streetcar line, covering a total 2.6-mile (4.2 km) route, connecting the South Lake Union neighborhood to Downtown Seattle, Washington. Service began on December 12, 2007. It is one of two lines in the developing Seattle Streetcar system. The line was built by the Seattle Department of Transportation and is owned by the City of Seattle, but the line is operated and maintained under contract by King County Metro.
The Seattle Electric Railway and Power Company laid streetcar tracks on Westlake Avenue, along which the present service primarily runs, in 1890. In April 1941, the Seattle Municipal Street Railway converted its last two streetcar routes - 19 Eighth Avenue Northwest and 21 Phinney Avenue - to buses (now numbered 28 and 5, respectively); both used Westlake Avenue to reach the Fremont Bridge from downtown.
Restoration of rail service on Westlake Avenue was originally envisioned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to help improve the South Lake Union neighborhood, in which his venture capital company, Vulcan Inc., is heavily invested. Allen's main supporter from the beginning was Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, but he was not universally supported by the Seattle City Council, which was concerned about the lack of public support for the line and questioned if it should be moved ahead of Seattle's other transportation needs.
then weç£e off weç£e away just to find her and then Iç£ a cop a police a reminder and then itç£ a play our play sheç£ been off long ago but iç£l find her and then Iç£l be back I will teach and rewind her and then itç£ a play our play found herself a room to hide but got herself identified by someone who was walking by the pictures in the news today they made her come back home and stay and end up with this endless play