Arses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The plural form referring to the buttocks of one or multiple individuals
2. Denoting multiple rear ends or backsides, commonly used informally or colloquially to indicate the posterior region
3. Used to identify several parts of the anatomy located at the lower rear torso area, often mentioned in casual or humorous contexts

Etymology: "Arses" is simply the plural of "arse", so the story is really the story of the singular. The root goes back to a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "backside, buttocks", which passed into Proto-Germanic as "arsaz" and then into Old English as "ærs". Its relatives survive in other Germanic languages: Dutch "aars" and German "Arsch" carry the same sense, so the word has been a plain, body-level term for the rear end for thousands of years. In Middle English the word appeared as "ars" or "ers", and the spelling and sound gradually shifted until it reached the form familiar today. Across that long stretch it stayed anatomical and blunt, which is why it sits among the older, earthier words of English rather than among the polite Latinate terms that later arrived to replace it in formal speech.

Synonyms: buttocks, rear ends, backsides

Antonyms: fronts, faces