What does puta mean?

Don't say this around tu abuela.


Puta (plural, putas) literally means "whore" in Spanish, but depending on the context, it can also function like the English fucking, bitch, and motherfucker. It is often exclaimed in frustration or surprise.

Examples of puta


Examples of puta
matthew: here she comes i cant stand this puta / also matthew being a fake bitch: oh hey baby girl how you doin?
@maialecs, May, 2018
Left his wife, but she was a puta. Now he's got some pocho [US citizen of Mexican origin] by the border and I've got two sisters…
Bryan Washington, Boston Review, November, 2017
Theres this one time I shitted at work and there was a customer that was waiting for me to finish so she can use the toilet, when she stepped inside i heard her say “puta madre” LMFAO DAMN MY BAD.
@ariellejdsj, June, 2018

Where does puta come from?

OFIBTY Wiki - Fandom

The ultimate origin of puta is obscure, though it’s commonly thought to come from a Latin word for a “girl.” Forms of the word are found across the Romance languages, not just Spanish.

While it seems likely that puta was just a neutral term for a “girl” at some early point, there’s evidence that puta was also being used for prostitutes.

In Spanish, puta extended as a derogatory word for “whore” to an all-purpose swear, kind of like the English fuck, which ranges from you little fuck to abso-fuckin-lutely. Puta is often used an exclamation of surprise, positive or negative: Puta! I just stubbed my toe.

Puta is found in English texts by the 1930s. It might be related to poontang (“sex”) and is definitely related to puttanesca (an Italian pasta sauce said to be quickly and easily made by prostitutes between clients).

Who uses puta?

Puta is incredibly versatile, found in Spanish all over the world and even in English when code-switching.

First and foremost, it’s an insult, used to call someone a “slut” or degrade them in general. It is also used as an intensifier (e.g., I have to go to the puta (fuckin’) DMV).

Puta is part of a number of vulgar stock phrases in Spanish, including  hijo de puta (“son of a bitch”), puta madre (“motherfucker” or “fuck off”), and ni puta idea (I’ve got no fucking idea). These expressions get used idiomatically (e.g., trabajo de puta madre (“fucking shitty work”).

While used frequently in informal Spanish, puta is still considered a very vulgar and forecful word. It’s not all negative, though. Some friends might call each other puta in a playful way, much like the English betch.

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