Profanities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Vulgar or offensive words often used to express strong emotions or to insult others
2. Terms considered disrespectful or blasphemous, typically relating to sacred concepts or used to demean
3. Language that is socially taboo or deemed inappropriate, frequently used to convey anger or frustration

Etymology: "Profanities" is simply the plural of "profanity," so it inherits the whole history of the singular. That noun was borrowed from Latin "profanitas," which meant something close to "the state of being outside the sacred," since it was built from "profanus," literally "before the temple," as the "pro-" meant "in front of" and "fanum" meant "temple" or "sanctuary." Something profane, in the original Roman sense, was simply something not set apart for religious use, so the word began as a description of the ordinary world standing outside sacred space rather than as a judgment about bad language. Over time the sense narrowed toward irreverence toward holy things, and eventually to speech that offended religious or moral sensibilities. The plural form "profanities" is used when people refer to particular instances of such language, as in a list of offensive words or a string of swearing in an argument.