what is the derivation of the term

[plcdude]

horny?

[gollygee]

1. Did you read the DaVinci Code?

It said there that it came from an old pagan male god of fertility - who was a goat or something and had horns. And it said the Catholic Church took that god as the basis for the devil.

That's what the book said - as I understand it the author researched pagan symbology pretty thoroughly.

[plcdude]

6. have not read it

do you recommend it?

[gollygee]

10. Yes! It's a fabulous book

It had me hooked from about page one. I couldn't set it down. My husband is reading it now and he also loves it.

[plcdude]

12. I will have

to get it.

[aden_nak]

2. I thought it was related to "hor"mones.

And "hormy" just sounds stupid. Though it is a very old word, perhaps back before hormones were a common item.

Most likely it was a local reference to some animal or other that had horns and fucked like crazy.

[theorist]

3. This will probably get locked before I finish this, but I'll try anyway.

I looked it up once, and the only explanation that seemed reasonable was that the erect human penis used to be referred to as a "horn". This then makes the etymology obvious, but the source I read this in claimed that since the first written mention of this usage was in the 18th century, it is unclear if "horny" came before "horn" or vice versa.

[redqueen]

4. I love this place

:)

[theorist]

7. I think this place loves you, too.

:hi:

[plcdude]

8. so far two

explanations that seem reasonable. The devil and wood theories.

[plcdude]

9. nothing like research to

raise your curiosity or whatever.

[dolo amber]

5. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore used to

always say they had 'the horn'...I'm not saying they came up with it or anything just that it seems a pretty obvious link and all... :)

[Terry in Austin]

11. Let's see...

Googling <horny origin> turns up a Straight Dope entry that's not very satisfying, but the second hit says:

The word horny "sexually excited, lecherous" derives from an interesting yet not surprising source. As early as the mid-18th century, an erection was known as a horn or the horn, simply because it looked a bit like one. James Joyce even used the term in his Ulysses. From there, any man having the horn was called horny, and this is first recorded in 1889. It was surely in use long before then, as the horn probably was. It often takes some time for lewd slang to make it into the written record.

[plcdude]

15. interesting site

with lots of information thanks

[achtung_circus]

13. Here are two theories, both based on mythology.

Pan, god of fertility, is the most likely. He's held to be the inspiration for Satan. Horny in several senses of the word.

<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=pan+god&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D78c7710256172c69%26clickedItemRank%3D2%26userQuery%3Dpan%2Bgod%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fhunter.apana.org.au%252F%257Egallae%252Fpantheon%252Fmyth%252Fpan.htm%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPResults%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fhunter.apana.org.au%2F%7Egallae%2Fpantheon%2Fmyth%2Fpan.htm>


And then there's
Priapus, god of, ummmm, well, you tell me.
<http://www.borndigital.com/priam.htm>
on edit: replace bad link.

[Phillycat]

14. Besides the "horn as penis" connection, there is also the god Pan

in the Greek pantheon, who was a man with the horns and legs/feet of a goat. He and his followers would revel in the woods, drink wine, etc.

Also, Bacchus (Dionysus) who was the god of wine and revelry, was sometimes depicted with horns. He and a group of wild women would cavort across the countryside, drinking and having orgies. That is why wild parties today are still called bacchanalia (hope I've spelled that correctly.)

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

16. The resemblance to a horn sounds right to me.

Horns on a person in European tradition imply somewhat the opposite--a cuckold. That's why we hold our fingers behind each other's heads in photos.

Up until quite recently, if not still, the English word for "horny" was "randy". I think people on both sides of the pond are using both now.