four-letter Anglo-Saxon word
- noun
- Offensive
:
palabrota
- He always avoids using any four-letter Anglo-Saxon word around his children.
Examples
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The editor deleted every four-letter Anglo-Saxon word from the manuscript before publication.
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Some comedians rely on the shock value of a four-letter Anglo-Saxon word in their routines.
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He used a four-letter Anglo-Saxon word during the argument.
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What is your favorite four-letter Anglo-Saxon word?
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The comedian's joke included a four-letter Anglo-Saxon word that left the audience in shock.
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During the heated debate, he casually dropped a four-letter Anglo-Saxon word that surprised everyone.
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Teachers often advise against using any four-letter Anglo-Saxon word in formal writing.
Synonyms
9
7.7
A rude or offensive word with four letters used to show anger
How Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
four-letter + Anglo-Saxon + word
The literal parts describe a word with four letters and Anglo‑Saxon origin, which a learner who knows the constituents would parse literally. However, the phrase is a conventional euphemism for a swear/obscene word and relies on sociocultural knowledge (that 'four‑letter word' signals profanity), so the meaning is only partly recoverable from the parts.
Etymology
Four-letter Anglo-Saxon word grew from the older polite phrase four-letter word, because people would say the number of letters instead of printing a rude word. The word 'Anglo-Saxon' points to short old English words often used as curses, so the phrase means 'an obscene or offensive word'.