Expletive
/ˈɛk.splɪ.tɪv/noun
A swear word or mild oath used to express emotion; originally, a word or phrase added for emphasis or completion.
Did you know?Expletive comes from Latin expletivus, from explere, meaning “to fill up,” so its oldest sense was about adding words to complete a sentence, not swearing at all.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
expletivus
“filling out; serving to complete”
Late Latin
Latin
expletivum
“a filler or supplementary expression”
14th–16th Century
English
expletive
“a word or phrase added to fill out a sentence or meaning”
19th–20th Century
English
expletive
“a mild oath or swear word, especially one used as an emotional outburst”
Modern English
English
expletive
“a swear word or euphemistic curse”