putain

Etymology

From Old French putain, originally the oblique case of pute (“dirty woman”) formed with the suffix -ain, from Vulgar Latin putta, from Latin puta (“girl”). Compare with salope, Italian puttana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /py.tɛ̃/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

putain f (plural putains)

1. (vulgar) whore, hooker
2. (derogatory, vulgar, slang) bitch, cow (an unpleasant woman)

Interjection

putain

1. (vulgar) fuck, fucking hell, bloody hell

   Synonyms: punaise, purée (euphemistic)

Further reading

• “putain” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From Old French putain.

Noun

putain f (plural putains)

1. (Jersey) whore

Etymology

From pute with the suffix -ain, -aine, or from Vulgar Latin putta/*puttāna, from Latin puta (“girl”)^[1]. Compare Old Occitan putan(a). Latin putta (“prostitute”) is attested in the sixth century (Gregory of Tours). The change of meaning from "girl" to "prostitute" is due to euphemism, a process that is well known to other periods and languages.^[2]

Noun

putain f (oblique plural putains, nominative singular pute, nominative plural putains)

1. (vulgar) whore, prostitute, bitch

References

Noun

putain m

1. genitive singular of putan (“button, key”)

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) (standard) (colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈpɨ̞tai̯n/
  • (North Wales) (colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈpɨ̞tɛn/
• (South Wales) (standard) IPA^(key): /ˈpɪtai̯n/
  • (South Wales) (colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈpɪtɛn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

putain f (plural puteiniaid)

1. prostitute, harlot, whore

Mutation