The ancient Roman's rarely swore. The worst they could manage was "Meherclē" maybe if they were really angry. That was just a mild oath which meant "By Hercules!" In Modern Latin, some people say Merda and Futuere (or Futūo) are the S and F word. But how someone could swear in a dead language isn't clear. And in Classical Latin they were just the acceptable words for this. (I read this all in a book from the Mardigian Library/Dearborn around 1991 BTW.)
What was he name of the book? (You're aware, I hope, that not everything in books is always factual. ) There are other sources that indicate the ancient Romans swore like troopers ! Futuo! How the Romans Swore Were There Swear Words in Ancient Times? - HistoryDisclosure Profanity in ancient Rome « IMPERIUM ROMANUM Latin Profanity: How to Swear in Latin 7 Ancient Roman Curses You Can Work into Modern Life Latin obscenity - Wikipedia Always good to corroborate! After 33 years, your mind might be playing tricks, especially if you can't remeber the author or title of the book !
LMAO...7 Ancient Roman Curses You Can Work into Modern Life... I can just picture it. “The human who stole Verio’s cloak or his things, who deprived him of his property, may he be bereft of his mind and memory, be it a woman or those who deprived Verio of his property, may the worms, cancer, and maggots penetrate his hands, head, feet, as well as his limbs and marrows.” I'm glad modern Romans (aka Italians) never curse.
Perhaps that is where the Johnny Carson curse of "the fleas of a thousand camels infesting your crotch" came from?
