Revised 2023 More entries for "vulgar"
vulgarnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun vulgar mean?
There are nine meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun vulgar, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
vulgar has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the noun vulgar?
About 0.1occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 2.3 |
| 1760 | 2.4 |
| 1770 | 2.3 |
| 1780 | 2.3 |
| 1790 | 2.1 |
| 1800 | 1.9 |
| 1810 | 1.6 |
| 1820 | 1.4 |
| 1830 | 1.2 |
| 1840 | 1.0 |
| 1850 | 0.85 |
| 1860 | 0.72 |
| 1870 | 0.63 |
| 1880 | 0.57 |
| 1890 | 0.48 |
| 1900 | 0.43 |
| 1910 | 0.38 |
| 1920 | 0.33 |
| 1930 | 0.28 |
| 1940 | 0.26 |
| 1950 | 0.23 |
| 1960 | 0.19 |
| 1970 | 0.16 |
| 1980 | 0.14 |
| 1990 | 0.12 |
| 2000 | 0.11 |
| 2010 | 0.11 |
How is the noun vulgar pronounced?
British English
/ˈvʌlɡə/
VUL-guh
U.S. English
/ˈvəlɡər/
VUL-guhr
Where does the noun vulgar come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun vulgar is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for vulgar is from before 1439, in the writing of John Lydgate, poet and prior of Hatfield Regis.
It is also recorded as an adjective from the Middle English period (1150—1500).
vulgar is formed within English, by conversion; modelled on French and Latin lexical items.
Etymons: vulgar adj.
Nearby entries
- vulcanized, adj.1845–
- vulcanized fibre | vulcanized fiber, n.1875–
- vulcanizer, n.1849–
- vulcanizing, n.1846–
- vulcanizing, adj.1849–
- vulcanologic, adj.1883–
- vulcanological, adj.1873–
- vulcanologist, n.1859–
- vulcanology, n.1859–
- vulgal, n.c1400
- vulgar, n.?a1439–
- vulgar, adj.c1400–
- vulgarality, n.a1681–
- vulgar fraction, n.1582–
- vulgarian, adj. & n.1770–
- vulgarianism, n.1832–
- vulgarily, adv.?1541–
- vulgarisateur, n.1866–
- vulgarish, adj.1808–
- vulgarism, n.1615–
- vulgarist, n.1643–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for vulgar, n.
vulgar, n. was revised in July 2023.
vulgar, n. was last modified in March 2024.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into vulgar, n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1920)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for vulgar, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- vulcanized, adj.1845–
- vulcanized fibre | vulcanized fiber, n.1875–
- vulcanizer, n.1849–
- vulcanizing, n.1846–
- vulcanizing, adj.1849–
- vulcanologic, adj.1883–
- vulcanological, adj.1873–
- vulcanologist, n.1859–
- vulcanology, n.1859–
- vulgal, n.c1400
- vulgar, n.?a1439–
- vulgar, adj.c1400–
- vulgarality, n.a1681–
- vulgar fraction, n.1582–
- vulgarian, adj. & n.1770–
- vulgarianism, n.1832–
- vulgarily, adv.?1541–
- vulgarisateur, n.1866–
- vulgarish, adj.1808–
- vulgarism, n.1615–
- vulgarist, n.1643–
