Editing Slut (section)

{{short description|Term applied to an individual}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
'''''Slut''' (archaic: '''slattern''')'' is an [[English-language]] term for a person, usually a woman, who is sexually [[promiscuous]] or considered to have loose [[sexual morals]].<ref name="Slut">{{cite web |title=Slut |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=February 26, 2015 |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/slut}}</ref><ref name="Slut 2">{{cite web |title=Slut |publisher=[[Reference.com]] |access-date=February 26, 2015 |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slut}}</ref> It is predominately used as an [[insult]], [[sexual slur]] or offensive term of disparagement.<ref name="Slut 2"/><ref name="Nathanson">{{cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Nathanson |work=The Village Voice |date=October 2, 2011 |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/slutwalk_rally.php |title=SlutWalk Rally Against Sexual Violence Draws Huge Crowd of Feminists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504171729/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/slutwalk_rally.php |archive-date=2012-05-04}}</ref> It originally meant "a dirty, slovenly woman",<ref name="Slut 2"/> and is rarely used to refer to men, generally requiring clarification by use of the terms ''male slut'' or ''[[man whore]]''.<ref name="Paludi">{{cite book |first1=Michele A. |last1=Paludi |first2=Jennifer L. |last2=Martin |first3=James E. |last3=Gruber |first4=Susan |last4=Fineran |title=Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-4408-3294-9 |year=2015 |page=15 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ovpPCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA15}}</ref><ref name="Wood">{{cite book |author=Julia Wood |title=Gendered Lives |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |isbn=978-1-285-07593-8 |year=2014 |page=108 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vMoTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108}}</ref>

The word was used as early as the late 14th century (in the form of an adjective, ''sluttish'', referring to a {{not a typo|man's}} untidy appearance) by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] in ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]''.{{r|Bennett}}
From the late 20th century, there have been attempts to [[Reappropriation|reclaim]] the word, exemplified by various [[SlutWalk]] parades, and some individuals embrace the title as a source of pride.<ref name="Greer">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/8510743/These-slut-walk-women-are-simply-fighting-for-their-right-to-be-dirty.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514143853/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/8510743/These-slut-walk-women-are-simply-fighting-for-their-right-to-be-dirty.html |url-status=live |archive-date=2011-05-14 |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Germaine |last=Greer|author-link=Germaine Greer|title=These 'slut walk' women are simply fighting for their right to be dirty |date=2011-05-12}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2022|reason=Opinion essay by activist author; not reliable for facts per WP:RSEDITORIAL}}<ref name="Westcott">{{cite news |last=Westcott |first=Kathryn |date=2011-05-09 |title=Why is the word 'slut' so powerful? |work=[[BBC News Magazine]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13333013}}</ref>