Cur
/kɜːr/noun
A contemptible or inferior dog, especially a mongrel.
Did you know?The word’s origin is genuinely uncertain, but scholars have proposed a connection with Old Norse kurra, meaning “to growl” or “mutter.”
Etymological Timeline
13th Century
Middle English
curre
“A dog, especially one regarded as worthless or inferior”
14th Century
Middle English
cur
“A dog; later, an insulting term for a low or despised person”
16th Century
English
cur
“A mongrel or inferior dog”
17th Century
English
cur
“A contemptible person, extending the animal insult to human character”
Modern English
English
cur
“An inferior dog or a despicable person”