Make Love
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HotForWords tells us how universal “love” is as a word. “Love” is part of many phrases also. A word’s use in phrases can raise linguistic questions. Do the connotations of the words in the phrase apply to the phrase also? When words have multiple meanings, which meaning does the phrase depend upon?
“Words make love with one another.” (Andre Breton 1896-1966)
As HotForWords has instructed us, words can change meanings. “Make Love” is a phrase that gained a meaning and may have retained it’s original, at least in connotation. So this comment is a Word Request for “make love” and will get the investigation started with the thinnest of resources, i.e. PC and Internet with no special subscriptions or any other references. Referring to the Online Etymology Dictionary provides a start about this but doesn’t explain how or why it happened or precisely when it was gained and what was lost over the centuries. The phrase “Make Love” is attested from 1580 in the sense “pay amorous attention to”. Presumably the act of paying attention could explain the “make” in “make love”, “make love to” or “make love with”. Earlier uses of “love” in compound words include love-letter attested from about 1240 and love-song from about 1310. To fall in love is attested from 1423. All these are say “amorous” but by “paying attention” in words, music or emotion – no sex “action” yet.
The phrase “Make Love” as a euphemism for “have sex,” it is attested from about 1950. So about 1580 “make love” doesn’t mean “have sex”, yet. By 1950, it does.
After 1580 “love child”, a child born out of wedlock, was attested from 1805 which was from earlier “love brat”, attested in the 17th century. Clearly love meant sex with these, whatever word they were using for “sex” then and before. So not long after 1580, it appears that “love” was being used as an euphemism for “sex”.
Regarding whatever word common English speakers were commonly using for sex then, before and after, if you wish refer to the Word History block and the Online Etymology Dictionary block in this link (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fuck) for some history about the infamous F Word.
For 2 centuries or so sometime after 1580 “make love” appears to be used also as “flirt” can be used today, as “play at courtship” ( from the 18th century). Flirt originally had a quite different meaning, but that could be another word lesson. Consider these “make love” literary quotes.
“Astrologers say, This is a good Day, To make Love in May.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
“It is true from early habit, one must make love mechanically as one swims; I was once very fond of both, but now as I never swim unless I tumble into the water, I don’t make love till almost obliged.” Lord Byron
(1788-1824)
“The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else, if she is plain.” Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Meanwhile in literature for English speakers; no particular word or phrase, acceptable or otherwise, seems predominantly used for sexual intercourse and censorship applied to an incredible degree peaking in the Victorian Era.
In 1745 Benjamin Franklin wrote his Letter to Young Men on the Proper Choosing of a Mistress which includes the word and phrases: “Affair”, “Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment”, and “debauching a Virgin”.
In 1750 Fanny Hill, the famous pornographic novel, was published with it’s graphic descriptions. Presumably looking at this novel with enough diligence (for this thin) etymological research, actual sexual intercourse is found stated as “engagements with men”, “the action”, “the transaction between this happy pair”, “the main attack”, “admittance”, “penetration”, “known any man”, “cheated the church of a ceremony” and “drove the nail up to the head”.
In 1826 a pope referred to “the arrangement of providence”
In 1880 Lady Jane Ellenborough, one of the most glamorous nymphomaniacs in history, is quoted “… slept with me …”
In 1900 “An American gynecologist said to a group of doctors … the sexual act …”.
While “Affair”, “liaison” and “sleep with” have continued to be used in the 20th century, English speakers began to rally around the long acceptable “make love” phrase with its new meaning. After 1950, or whenever, did “make love” lose it’s original meaning? Apparently largely so. Try to find quotes from the movies in the last 20 years where “make love” doesn’t refer to copulation. OK, maybe that’s just Hollywood. Search the newspaper web sites and search the Internet literary quotes. Good luck.
Perhaps a better question would be has “make love” retained a connotation of enamor or being in love to any significant degree? Some seem to have a broader view of “making love” than others.
“I think I mentioned … I could make love for eight hours. What I didn’t say was that this included four hours of begging and then dinner and a movie.” Sting
Written by: dvorak
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