It is impossible for a male to become hysterical, only females enjoy this state.
By VKXY62
@VKXY62 (1605)
Australia
March 17, 2007 7:32am CST
Hi, I'm sure that you have all heard the term hysterical before, basically it means that you are raving mad and off your head or have temporarily lost your senses.
It is physically impossible for a male to become hysterical, only females are able to enjoy this state of mind.
Why? you ask.
Because males do not posses a womb.
The original meaning of the word hysterical goes right back to Roman times and the Latin language.
Hyster is the Latin word for 'womb' and 'hysterical' translates into 'madness of the womb', a direct jump back through time would perhaps see Roman men referring to their spouses monthly period, using this word.
So, remember, women can be 'hysterical' because they have a womb, men cannot be hysterical, they can however be very stupid at times, leaving one for a want for a new word, perhaps 'male' just covers it all.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@eslproofreader (517)
• United States
22 Mar 07
yeah, but I guess I'd rather get 'hysterical' than be 'dicky'!
1 person likes this
@VKXY62 (1605)
• Australia
23 Mar 07
Hi there esl, I wonder if you have ever heard Aussie's calling each other names at all. This one is used every day by thousands of us.
Probably coined years ago by some bright lass, who was witnessing some very stupid event being carried out by a male.
We have this term 'dic-k-head'.
It is very popular, I wonder when it was first used and became widespread.
Years ago I was working with a German bloke, that told me a little saying in German, I wont repeat it here, a bit rude. This went into the filing cabinet of memory, and one day much later, I called him a 'pimmel kopf', he looked stunned at first then laughed his head off, I said what's so funny. He said, we don't say that in German, I've never heard this Australian saying said in German before.
Ha ha, now that's got to be a male only term, how could a female, possibly be a dic-k-head?
I had to use the hyphen, it got censored.
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
22 Mar 07
Wow, and you wondered why this had no responses? Even guys who aren't married desire female company. I only dare answer this because I think my wife will never see it.
Though, my wife would agree the word "male" covers stupidity fairly well. She says male only exist because they have a defective "Y" chromosome.
She has a point.
1 person likes this
@VKXY62 (1605)
• Australia
22 Mar 07
Ah, this was one of those things that I thought, dare I.
Yes go on, see what happens.
You might be able to use if if someone ever says you were hysterical?
It is really just intended as an eye opener for people that don't know where words come from or what there original meanings were, regardless of what they mean today or in the future, languages evolve.
I love the little twists in the evolving history of us, humans.
What other words are used in the wrong sense of their original meaning.
I think flammable and inflammable are going through an evolutionary hump at the moment.
@lacurandera (335)
• United States
22 Mar 07
LOL. Yes, this word's latin origin correctly represents the archaic ideal that some still hold today that only women fly off the handle about petty things. Not true. My bf blows up all the time. Over very small things. funny post. Nice to see someone looking into linguistics.
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