Roots of Word "Horny"
- Thread starter Rick
- Start date
I believe it has something to do with the satyrs, creatures from Roman myths that were part goat/part human. The male satyrs had horns on their head. They were supposedly very into sex, and usually had an easy time seducing human women because they were very well-endowed.
That’s what my latin teacher told me, anyway. I don’t really know if she was correct or not.
That’s what my latin teacher told me, anyway. I don’t really know if she was correct or not.
The root of the word "horny" is "horn" (which we already established). "Horn" suggests an erect penis cuz . . . well, ya know why.
The word "horn" is a Germanic word, descended from Indo-European. It's a cognate of the Latin "cornus". That's where the word "corn" (on yer feet) came from.
Interesting (and potentially useless) tidbit: "Horny" didn't use to have a sexual connotation. The name of a German saga (Have ya heard of it, Dreamwalker?) is "How Siegfried became horny" (which I read in German class). He didn't become sexually aroused. When he slew a dragon, the fat spilled on the ground and he bathed in it. The fat made his skin hard like a horn (horny). So if the skin on yer hands is tough and hard as if they had endured wear and tear, ya could technically say "My hands are horny". But of course, because of the sexual connotation, ya'd either confuse, disgust, get a laugh out of, or turn on whoever happens to hear ya say it.
There's my SEVEN cents. Count 'em!
The word "horn" is a Germanic word, descended from Indo-European. It's a cognate of the Latin "cornus". That's where the word "corn" (on yer feet) came from.
Interesting (and potentially useless) tidbit: "Horny" didn't use to have a sexual connotation. The name of a German saga (Have ya heard of it, Dreamwalker?) is "How Siegfried became horny" (which I read in German class). He didn't become sexually aroused. When he slew a dragon, the fat spilled on the ground and he bathed in it. The fat made his skin hard like a horn (horny). So if the skin on yer hands is tough and hard as if they had endured wear and tear, ya could technically say "My hands are horny". But of course, because of the sexual connotation, ya'd either confuse, disgust, get a laugh out of, or turn on whoever happens to hear ya say it.
There's my SEVEN cents. Count 'em!
Erm, "Horny" in the sense of having a horny skin or pellicule is still in use as a non-sexual term, and that has nothing to do with Siegfried! At least this is the case in British English. We Brits of course find it mirthful that many Americans are named "Randy".
A restoration comedy begins with an adulterous chap denigrating cuckolds by saying "For the roots of the horns are in the eyeballs, which is why the horn of a cuckold is as tender as his eye." which made a direct link from devil's horns, via the sensitive eyeballs, to the similarly sensitive penis.
A restoration comedy begins with an adulterous chap denigrating cuckolds by saying "For the roots of the horns are in the eyeballs, which is why the horn of a cuckold is as tender as his eye." which made a direct link from devil's horns, via the sensitive eyeballs, to the similarly sensitive penis.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Check the website TakeOurWord.com , they ran a monthly newsletter for several years that was the definitive resource on etymology. They seem to have run out of monetary contributions, but the site is still up with the January 2004 issue. It links to a separate site with a large etymological dictionary that includes all of the slang words for sex and body functions, it's not on the main site so children's filters won't block it.zion said:
Check it out, I'm sure it will answer your question.
Sexual pleasure is not only healthy, but a way to show your love to another person.