140: lewd Apr 27, 2015

Following yesterday's Word Facts post, the word 'lewd' comes from Old English, 'lǣwede'. The original sense meant "belonging to the laity (people distinct from the clergy)" and in Middle English, the meaning had become "belonging to the common people," essentially "vulgar". The later the word was used to mean "worthless, vile, or evil", which led to the current sense of "crude and offensive in a sexual way".