fag, verb and
noun.
- verb. Toil painfully; (of occupation) tire, make weary; (at school, of seniors) use the service of (juniors), (of juniors) do service for seniors.
- noun. Drudgery, unwelcome task, exhaustion; (at schools) junior who has to fag; (slang) cigarette
In a sentence:
“The junior had to fag for the senior.”
Sound: /ˈfæɡ.ət/
faggot or fagot,
verb and noun.
- noun. Bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel; bundle of steel rods; dish of liver chopped, seasoned and baked
- verb. Bind in faggots, make faggot(s).
In a sentence: “He bound the sticks
to faggots.”
Sound: /ˈfæʃɪz(ə)m/
Fascism,
noun. Principles and organization of the patriotic and anti-communist movement
in Italy started during the 1914-18 war, culminating in the dictatorship of
Benito Mussolini (died 1945), and imitated by Fascist or blackshirt
associations in other countries. From Italian fascismo; fascio: bundle, group.
There
are three words this week, who sound a little bit alike, but on first sight one
of them doesn’t seem to match the others. But, coincidently they have the same
root.
Let’s
start with faggot. Its etymology
traces back to the Middle English, Old French and Latin words for bundle of
sticks or bundle of wood. As you saw, my dictionary still gives only that
definition (by the way, wiktionary.org gives 9 different definitions). However,
nowadays the word is more associated with the derogatory, vulgar word for a
male homosexual. Why is that word used? Wikipedia gives the most believable
reason:
“The origins of the word as an offensive epithet for homosexuals are, however, rather obscure, although the word has been used in English since the late 16th century as an abusive term for women, particularly old women, and reference to homosexuality may derive from this, female terms being often used with reference to homosexual or effeminate men (cf. nancy, sissy, queen). The application of the term to old women is possibly a shortening of the term "faggot-gatherer", applied in the 19th century to people, especially older widows, who made a meagre living by gathering and selling firewood.”
The same
association is true with fag, as an
abbreviation of faggot, and other meanings have become dated. Check out the
South Park episode, “The F Word“, where the subject is treated in a humorous
manner: The main characters want to change the official meaning of fag to “a
contemptible person who rides a Harley motorcycle”.
Fascism derives
directly from the Italian word fascio, meaning bundle or fasces. The word fasces
is defined as “a Roman symbol of judicial authority consisting of a bundle of
wooden sticks, with an axe blade embedded in the centre” and can be seen on the
Italian fascist flag.
Now you know about
fag, faggot and fascism. As you see, people with the same roots may be very
hateful towards each other.
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