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Medieval insults reveal a fascinating glimpse into the sharp wit and
social dynamics of the Middle Ages. These cutting terms, often steeped
in class distinctions and cultural values, were not just tools for
personal attacks but also reflections of the erarCOs humour and societal norms. Many of these insults appear in medieval literature and even
court records, offering insights into how people expressed disdain,
challenged rivals, or maintained social hierarchies. This list explores
some of the most vivid insults from the medieval period.

1. Churl
In his book, An Encyclopedia of Swearing, Geoffrey Hughes explains the
history of this term:

This designation was used in medieval times to refer to rCLlow-classrCY language, predicated on the assumption that bad language was more
prevalent among the lower orders. The Anglo-Saxon form ceorl meant rCLa peasant or laborer,rCY and has yielded the modern form churl, meaning rCLa surly, ill-bred person,rCY now virtually obsolete, chiefly surviving in churlish, meaning rCLungenerous,rCY applied to a man of any class.

Like with many words on this list, the term is well-known thanks to the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer. He used rCLchurlsrCY to great effect in The Canterbury Tales, where his narrator calls out two of the pilgrims rCo the miller and the reeve rCo for being rCycherlesrCO.

2. Knave
Originally coming from the Old English word rCycnafarCO, this word meant
boy, and throughout the Middle Ages rCyknave childrCO was common way for referring to boys in England. However, by the 14th century, it began to
be seen as an insult, specifically for calling someone dishonest. It
wasnrCOt a term that people liked to be called either, as can be seen in
the records from a 15th century guild: rCLIf any Brother despise another, calling him knaverCY it would lead to a punishment.

3. Turd
rCLAnde I haue schetun yowr mowth full of turdys.rCY rCo this particular line appears in the play Mankind, created around the year 1470. The word
rCyturdrCO dates back to around the year 1000, where it was used to describe the excrement of a pig. According to Hughes, the word was used as an
insult from the 15th to 17th centuries, then disappeared from the
English language until the early 20th century, when it made a small
comeback.

4. Hag
While the term rCLhagrCY is often associated with witches today, in medieval England it was used more broadly to insult someonerCOs appearance or age.
A famous example comes from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where
Gawain encounters Morgan le Fay, described in terms that could easily
inspire the insult rCLhag.rCY Such language reflected the harsh societal judgments of aging women.

5. Cur

Luttrell Psalter rCo British Library MS Add. 42130, f.64v
Throughout history, variations of the word rCLdogrCY have been used as insults. Cur is one of these. It dates back to the 13th century, and
gradually became an insult. Hughes writes:

In Middle English the term could be used of a good, vicious, or cowardly
dog, and there was even a curious tautological form curdogge, meaning
rCLthe Devil.rCY The Book of St. Albans (ca. 1486), that rich compilation of ingenious collective nouns, includes rCLa cowardness of curris.rCY

By the 16th century it was a common insult, as would other names for
dogs, including hound, mongrel and tyke.

6. Dastard
Calling someone a rCLdastardrCY accused them of cowardicerCoan insult with grave implications in an age when honour was paramount. It was a term
bestowed upon James Fiennes, Baron Saye and Sele and Lord High Treasurer
of England from 1449 to 1450 rCo it was his ineptness at war and
misgovernment of England that lead the rebels under Jack Cade to coin
him rCLthat dastard of renownrCO. They also beheaded him.

7. Driveller
The word rCydrivelrCO dates back to at least the early 13th century. By the 16th century it was an insult to call someone a rCydrivellerrCO rCo a person who spouts meaningless chatter.


Luttrell Psalter rCo British Library MS Add. 42130, f.87v
8. Scold
rCLThe word has a strange history,rCY Hughes notes. rCY having originally been a noun and male in application, then throughout most of its life
exclusively female, but recently generalized as a verb.rCY It comes from
the Old Norse word skald, which means poet (Norse poetry could be quite satirical and insulting). When we see it in 14th-century England,
however, it is usually applied to women who are accused of using abusive language. Hughes adds that it was used in legal jargon to denote a woman
who was a public nuisance: it is first recorded in 1476, when a court
document announced that rCLEadem Katerina est communis scolderCY (rCLthe formentioned Katherine is a common scoldrCY).

9. Cuckold
Hughes explains that this term traces its roots to the cuckoo bird,
known for its habit of laying eggs in other birdsrCO nests and its
association with promiscuity. This connection to infidelity is deeply
embedded in medieval folklore, art, and literature. The wordrCOs earlier
form, kukewold, entered English from Old French cuccault, itself derived
from cuccu (cuckoo) with the addition of the pejorative suffix -ault. It
makes its earliest recorded appearance around 1250 in the satirical poem
The Owl and the Nightingale. By the 15th century, the termrCOs bluntness
was notable, as seen in John LydgaterCOs Fall of Princes: rCLTo speke plaine Englishe, made him cokolde.rCY

10. Shrew
The Old English word rCyscreawrCO originally meant a mouse-like creature,
but by the thirteenth century it evolved to mean a wicked or evil man,
and sometimes was used to refer to the Devil. However, according to
Hughes, a familiar writer switched it to refer to another gender:

The feminine application starts to emerge in the lifetime of Geoffrey
Chaucer, memorably used by the Merchant of the Canterbury Tales when he ruefully describes his newly married wife: rCLShe is a shrewe at alrCY.

By the 16th century, this term became firmly established in popular
vocabulary through ShakespearerCOs play The Taming of the Shrew.


Luttrell Psalter rCo British Library MS Add. 42130, f.153r
You can learn more about these insults in Geoffrey HughesrCO book, An Encyclopedia of Swearing: The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-speaking world. See also 300+
Dirty, Sexy Words for Historical Writers, by Dani|?le Cybulskie.

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TagsLanguages in the Middle Ages rCo Medieval Social History
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