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This article is about the term. For the 1997 novel by Kiran Nagarkar, see Cuckold (novel). For the 2015 South African film, see Cuckold (film).


History of the term[edit]


Cuckold derives from the cuckoo bird, alluding to the alleged habit of the female in changing its mate frequently and authentic (in some species) practice of laying its eggs in other nests within its community.[2][3] The association is common in medieval folklore, literature, and iconography. The original Middle English was "kukewold". It was derived from Middle English "cuccault", which was made up of "cucu" (Old French for the cuckoo bird itself) plus the pejorative suffix – "ault", indicating the named person was being taken advantage of as by a cuckoo bird.

English usage first appears about 1250 in the satirical and polemical poem "The Owl and the Nightingale" (l. 1544). The term was clearly regarded as embarrassingly direct, as evident in John Lydgate's "Fall of Princes" (c. 1440). In the late 14th century, the term also appeared in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Miller's Tale".[3] Shakespeare's poetry often referred to cuckolds, with several of his characters suspecting they had become one.[3]

The female equivalent “cuckquean” first appears in English literature in 1562, adding a female suffix to the “cuck”. One often overlooked subtlety of the word is that it implies that the husband is “deceived”, that he is unaware of his wife's unfaithfulness and may not know until the arrival or growth of a child plainly not his (as with Cuckoo birds).[4]

Another, related word, spelled “wittol” or “wittold”, which substitutes “wit” (in the meaning “knowing, cognizant”) for the first part of the word, designates a man aware of and reconciled to his wife's infidelity, and first appears in 1520.[5]

Metaphor and symbolism[edit]


Cuckoldry as a fetish[edit]

Unlike the traditional definition of the term, in fetish usage a cuckold is complicit in his (or her) partner's sexual "infidelity"; the wife who enjoys cuckolding her husband is frequently called a hotwife or a cuckoldress if the man is more submissive.[9][page needed]

Theories in psychology[edit]

Psychology regards cuckold fetishism as a variant of masochism, the cuckold deriving pleasure from being humiliated.[10] In Freudian analysis, cuckold fetishism is the eroticization of the fears of infidelity and of failure in the man's competition for procreation and the affection of females.[citation needed] In his book Masochism and the Self, psychologist Roy Baumeister advanced a Self Theory analysis that cuckolding (other forms of sexual masochism) among otherwise mentally healthy people was a form of escapism. According to this theory, cuckold fetishists are relieving themselves of the stress of the burden of their social role and escaping into a simpler, less-expansive position.[citation needed]


Theories in evolutionary biology and psychology[edit]



Baker and his proponents' views conflict with the hypothesized foundations for sexual jealousy in evolutionary psychology, which is rooted in the idea that men, specifically, will react jealously to sexual infidelity on the parts of their mates.[14] Infidelity is also the number one cause for divorce.[15]

The cuckold’s urge to thrust, through intercourse or masturbation, is often enhanced by the presence of the bull, whether real or fantasized. A study by Gordon Gallup and coworkers (2003) concluded that one evolutionary purpose of the thrusting motion characteristic of intense intercourse is for the penis to “upsuck” another man’s semen before depositing its own.[16]

See also[edit]


  2. ^ 'Cuckold' at the Online Etymology Dictionary
  5. ^ Oxford English Dictionary
  15. ^ Wolcott; Hughes (1999). "Towards understanding the reasons for divorce". Working paper No. 20 (Australian Institute for Family Studies): 8. 
  16. ^ Susan M. Block, Ph.D. (June 2, 2015). "Cuckold" (PDF). Wiley-Blackwell International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality. Retrieved July 3, 2015. 

External links[edit]

  • The dictionary definition of cuckold at Wiktionary
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