Talk:etterkop

Etter!

This is an interesting one. Etter as a term of abuse is derived from French être, so: being. Calling someone a being is not directly abusive but obliquely indicative of something worse, much like "you so-and-so" in English. Nevertheless, the word etter in the Germanic meaning of pus is also current in Dutch and this association with something unpleasant no doubt amplifies its force. Interestingly, the Germanic meaning is old, attested in the Middle Ages and probably older, whereas the term of abuse is barely over a century old. The derived words etterkop, etterbak and etteraar must be even more recent formations. Etter does not occur in Dutch in the sense of poison or venom and, sadly, etterkop does not signify nor has ever signified spider in Dutch. 2A01:CB0C:CD:D800:C529:FE54:576:C4AC 09:03, 22 October 2022 (UTC)