cunt

cunt {kŭnt}
noun vulgar slang

1. a woman's genitals.
2. an unpleasant or stupid person.

(OED)

Cunt is an old Germanic word (Proto-Germanic *kunton), and appeared as kunta in Old Norse. In Middle English it appeared with many different spellings such as queynte that did not always reflect the actual pronunciation of the word. It has cognates in most Germanic languages, such as the Swedish, Faroese and Old Norwegian kunta, Frisian kunte, Dutch kut, and German kott. While kont in Dutch refers to the buttocks, kut is considered far less offensive in Dutch speaking areas than cunt is in the English speaking world. However, kont, the Afrikaans equivalent of cunt, is considered even more offensive to Afrikaans speakers than cunt is to English speakers.

The etymology of the term is however disputed. It may have arisen by Grimm's law operating on the Proto-Indo-European root *gen/gon = "create, become" seen in gonads, genital, gamete, genetics, gene, or the Proto-Indo-European root *g^wneH₂/guneH₂ = "woman" seen in gynaecology. Relationships to similar-sounding words such as the Latin cunnus (vulva), and its derivatives French con, and Spanish coņo have not been conclusively demonstrated. Other Latin words related to cunnus: cuneatus, wedge-shaped; cuneo v. fasten with a wedge; (figurative) to wedge in, squeeze in, leading to English words like cuneiform (wedge-shaped).

First known reference in Eng. is said to be c.1230 Oxford or London street name Gropecuntlane, presumably a haunt of prostitutes. Avoided in public speech since 15c.; considered obscene since 17c.

(wiki / etymonline)