asshole

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Variation of earlier arsehole, from Middle English arshole, arcehoole, equivalent to ass +‎ hole. Attested from the 1370s, replacing earlier Old English earsþerl (“anus”, literally “arse hole”). First recorded in Middle English, as ers hole (Glouc. Cath. Manuscript 19. No. I. , dated 1379, cited after OED), ars-hole (Bodleian Ashmole MS. 1396, dated ca. 1400, ed. Robert Von Fleischhacker as Lanfrank's "Science of Cirurgie", EETS 102, 1894, cited after OED.)

Slang figurative usage dates to the 20th century, of an uninviting place (c.f. shithole) in the 1920s, of an anti-social or despicable person from at least the 1950s (Harvard Advocate 137, March 1954), also appositionally (as in "You're an asshole moralist", T. Chamales 1957[1])

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Alternative forms

• arsehole (UK, Australia, Newfoundland)
• basshole (bowdlerization)

Noun

asshole (plural assholes) (US)

1. (vulgar) The anus.
   • "... his temper took charge of him. 'You talk as if you were born without an asshole,' he cried to Commander Semmes." (Ira Wolfert, An act of love: a completely retold version of the novel, 1954, p. 54)
2. (vulgar, pejorative) A jerk; an inappropriately or objectionably mean, inconsiderate, contemptible, obnoxious, intrusive, or rude person.
   • "He philosophised all day about Morandi, Klee, Mird and Picasso, and was such an asshole that he spelled 'cunt' with a 'd'." (Jan Cremer, I, Jan Cremer, 1965, p. 78)

Usage notes

• Less vulgar and intense than fucker.
• Asshole is an American English form, the corresponding British English form is arsehole.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:anus

Derived terms

• assholedom
• assholery
• assholic
• assholism
• assholocracy
• assholocrat

Translations

anus

Albanian: vrimë e bythës (sq) f. Bengali: (payou) Chinese: Cantonese: 屎忽 (si2 fut1) Mandarin: 屁眼 (zh) (pìyǎn) Croatian: šupak (hr) m., šupak (hr) m., anus (hr) m., analni otvor (hr) m. Czech: prdel (cs) f., řiť (cs) Danish: røvhul (da) n. Dutch: kontgat, reet Esperanto: pugtruo (eo) Finnish: persereikä (fi) French: trou du cul (fr) m. Georgian: პროჭი (proč‘i) German: Arschloch (de) n. Greek: κωλοτρυπίδα (el) (kolotripída) f., πρωκτός (el) (proktós) m. Hindi: गांड (hi) (gānḍ) Hungarian: segglyuk (hu) Icelandic: rassgat (is) n. Indonesian: lubang pantat Italian: ano (it) m.

Japanese: ケツ (ja) (ketsu), けつの穴 (ja) (ketsu-no ana) Korean: 항문 (ko) (hangmun) Latin: culus (la) m. Latvian: dirsas caurums (lv) Lithuanian: šiknaskylė (lt) f. Macedonian: чмар (mk) (čmár) m., шупак (mk) (šúpak) m. Norwegian: rasshøl (no) Persian: سوراخ کون (fa) (surâx-e kun) Polish: dupa (pl) f. Portuguese: (Brazil): cu m. Romanian: cur (ro) n., găoază (ro) f. Russian: жопа (ru) (žópa) f., очко (ru) (očkó) n. Slovak: riť f. Spanish: culo (es) m. Swahili: m'kundu Swedish: rövhål (sv), arsle (sv) Thai: ก้น (th) (Anus/Ass) Urdu: گانڈ (ur) (gānḍ) Volapük: kül  (vo), külahog (vo)

mean or rude person

Arabic: بوش (ar) (baush) m. Chinese: Cantonese: 屎忽鬼 (si2 fut1 gwai2) Mandarin: 混球 (zh) (hùnqiú), 傻屄 (zh) (shǎbī) Croatian: seronja (hr) m., šupak (hr), (augmentative of šupak) šupčina (hr) Czech: blbec, vosel Danish: røvhul (da) n. Dutch: klootzak (nl), hufter (nl), lul (nl) Finnish: persereikä (fi), kusipää (fi), paskiainen (fi) French: trou du cul (fr), connard (fr) German: Arschloch (de) n. Greek: κωλοτρυπίδα (el) (kolotripída) f., μαλάκας (el) (malákas) m. Hindi: मूर्ख (hi) (mūrakh) Hungarian: seggfej (hu) Icelandic: asni (is) m., fífl (is) n., hálfviti (is) m. Indonesian: brengsek Italian: testa di cazzo (it), stronzo (it)

Japanese: 糞っ垂れ (ja) (kusottare), 糞垂れ (ja) (kusotare), mild バカ (ja) (baka) Korean: 머저리 (ko) (meojeori) Macedonian: шупак (mk) (šúpak) m. Maltese: it-toqba ta' sormok, toqbi Norwegian: rasshøl (no) Persian: کس‌کش (fa) (koskeš) Polish: dupek (pl) m. Portuguese: pentelho (pt) Russian: засранец (ru) (zasránec) m., мудак (ru) (mudák) m., гад (ru) (gad) m., козёл (ru) (kozjól) m., пидорас (ru) (pidorás) m., говнюк (ru) (govnjúk) m., падла (ru) (pádla) m. and f., мудоёб (ru) (mudojób) m., сволочь (ru) (svóloč’) f. Serbian: (slang) шупак (sr) m., šupak (sr) m. Slovak: kokot (sk) m. Spanish: pendejo (es) m., cabrón (es) m., culero (es) m., gilipollas (es) m. and f. Swahili: m'kundu Swedish: arsle (sv)/arsel (sv) Urdu: گانڈ (ur) (gānḍ)

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Scots

Etymology

From ass, asse "ashes" and hole.

Noun

asshole (plural assholes)

1. (obsolete) The place for receiving the ashes under the grate in a fireplace

References

• John Jamieson, An etymological dictionary of the Scottish language: in which the words are explained in their different senses, authorized by the names of the writers by whom they are used, or the titles of the works in which they occur, and deduced from their originals, 1818