Etymology Map
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Bad

3 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means of poor quality; wicked; harmful

Where does the word "bad" come from? It comes from Old English bæddel, passing through Middle English before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
bæddel
Old English · medieval
"effeminate man (insult)"
a derogatory word for an effeminate man, the most-cited possible source, though scholars dispute the link and 'bad' has no clear relatives in other languages
2
Stage 2 of 3
badde
Middle English · 1200s
"wicked"
'wicked, worthless'; for centuries it was rarer than 'evil' and 'ill'
3
Stage 3 of 3
bad
English · 1900s
"poor quality; wicked; (slang) excellent"
turned upside down in African-American slang, from the 1890s, to mean 'excellent', a sense popularised by jazz musicians in the 1920s
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Read the full story

Bad’s story begins in Old English: bæddel meant “effeminate man (insult).” A derogatory word for an effeminate man, the most-cited possible source, though scholars dispute the link and 'bad' has no clear relatives in other languages. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as badde. 'wicked, worthless'; for centuries it was rarer than 'evil' and 'ill'. It reached English by 1900s as bad. Turned upside down in African-American slang, from the 1890s, to mean 'excellent', a sense popularised by jazz musicians in the 1920s. Today, bad means of poor quality; wicked; harmful.