Origin and history of bugger

bugger(n.)

"sodomite," 1550s, earlier "heretic" (mid-14c.), from Medieval Latin Bulgarus "a Bulgarian" (see Bulgaria), so called from bigoted notions of the sex lives of Eastern Orthodox Christians or of the sect of heretics that was prominent there 11c. Compare Old French bougre "Bulgarian," also "heretic; sodomite."

The softened secondary sense of "fellow, chap," is in British English "low language" [OED] from mid-19c. The meaning "something unpleasant, a nuisance" is from 1936. Related: Buggerly.

The religious heretics in question were the Bogomils, whose name is a Slavic compound meaning "dear to God" (compare Russian bog "god") and might be a translation of Greek theophilos.

also from 1550s

bugger(v.)

"commit buggery with or on," 1590s, from bugger (n.). The meaning "ruin, spoil" is from 1923. Related: Buggered; buggering. Bugger off "go away" is from 1922, but the connection is obscure.

also from 1590s

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Bulgaria(n.)

nation in southeastern Europe, Medieval Latin, from Bulgari "Bulgarians," traditionally explained as "the men from the Bolg," the River Volga, upon whose banks they lived until 6c. But evidence is wanting, and the people's name for themselves in Old Bulgarian was Blugarinu, according to OED and Century Dictionary, which suggests a different origin. In other sources [such as Room], the name is said to be ultimately from Turkic bulga "mixed," in reference to the nature of this people of Turko-Finnish extraction but Slavic language.

bug off(v.)

"leave quickly," by 1956, perhaps from bugger off (see bugger (v.)), which chiefly is British (by 1920s) but was picked up in U.S. Air Force slang in the Korean War. Also see bug (v.3). To bug out "leave quickly, scram" is from 1953.

buggery(n.)

mid-14c., "heresy," from Old French bougrerie, from bougre "heretic" (see bugger (n.)). Later (1510s) "unnatural intercourse" with man or beast, "carnalis copula contra Naturam, & hoc vel per confusionem Specierum;" from bugger (n.) + -y (4).

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Trends of bugger

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

Origin and history of bugger

bugger(n.)

bugger(v.)

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Trends of bugger

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