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Every culture and society has words that are considered rude or vulgar, words that polite people do not say. Sometimes these words are about bodily functions (like words for the body's waste products), sometimes they are about religion (saying the name of God with words like Damn used to be a punishable offense in the Puritan era), sometimes they are about sex (including the many slang words that describe sexual relations).

Forbidden words (often called "swear words") have been a part of language for hundreds of years, and often reflect subjects that make that culture uncomfortable in some way. Interestingly, taboo words can change-- some words that used to be considered very vulgar are today completely acceptable. For example, few people are upset by "damn" the way they used to be; and the British word "bloody" is no longer considered a curse word by most people.

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13y ago

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