英语词汇obscene的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

obscene. According to one theory, obscene originally meant “off the stage” in ancient Greek drama, deriving from the Latin ob, “against,” and scaena, “stage.” What was kept off the stage in Greek drama was violence (always reported by messenger), not sex, of which there was plenty in comedies and satyr plays complete with actors fitted with huge artificial phalluses. Ob- scenity wasn’t associated with sex until the word made its appearance in England toward the end of the 17th century. However, obscene is of obscure origin, and another theory, less likely, derives the word from the Latin caenum, “mud.” Shakespeare was the first to use obscene in the sense of offen- sive to the senses, that is, disgusting, filthy, foul, etc., in Rich- ard II: “. . . so heinous, black obscene a deed.” The Bard prob- ably based the word on the French obscene, meaning the same, which came from the Latin obscenus. Within five years or so, obscene was being used to mean “indecent and lewd” as well.

词汇	obscene
词源	obscene. According to one theory, obscene originally meant “off the stage” in ancient Greek drama, deriving from the Latin ob, “against,” and scaena, “stage.” What was kept off the stage in Greek drama was violence (always reported by messenger), not sex, of which there was plenty in comedies and satyr plays complete with actors fitted with huge artificial phalluses. Ob- scenity wasn’t associated with sex until the word made its appearance in England toward the end of the 17th century. However, obscene is of obscure origin, and another theory, less likely, derives the word from the Latin caenum, “mud.” Shakespeare was the first to use obscene in the sense of offen- sive to the senses, that is, disgusting, filthy, foul, etc., in Rich- ard II: “. . . so heinous, black obscene a deed.” The Bard prob- ably based the word on the French obscene, meaning the same, which came from the Latin obscenus. Within five years or so, obscene was being used to mean “indecent and lewd” as well.
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