Language changes. It’s weird, honestly. One century, you’re talking about a bundle of sticks or a tired woman, and the next, you’ve got a slur that cuts deep enough to start fights. People often ask, where did the term fag come from, expecting a simple, straight-line answer. They want a "gotcha" moment where they can point to one specific event in history and say, "There. That’s why we say it."
But history isn't that tidy.
If you look at the etymology, you're stepping into a swamp of British slang, public school hazing rituals, and the strange way that words for "weakness" eventually get pinned onto marginalized groups. It’s a heavy topic. It’s uncomfortable. But understanding how a word travels from a fireplace to a playground to a protest sign tells us a lot about how we view power and identity.
The Bundle of Sticks and the Firewood Myth
Let's kill the most popular internet myth right now. You’ve probably seen the meme. It claims that during the Inquisition or the witch trials, gay men were bundled together like "faggots" (sticks) to be used as kindling for the fires because they weren't "worth" the good wood used for "real" heretics.
It sounds plausible because it’s horrific. It feels like the kind of dark history that should be true.
But it’s not. There is zero historical evidence—none, zilch—to support the idea that gay people were ever called "faggots" because they were being used as kindling. It’s a back-formation. It’s an explanation invented much later to justify why the word is so nasty. In reality, the word faggot comes from the Old French fagot, which literally just meant a bundle of sticks. In the 1500s, if you were a "faggot-gatherer," you were just someone doing a chore.
Why the "Sticks" Matter
The connection isn't about fire; it’s about burden. A "faggot" was a weight you had to carry. By the late 16th century, the term started being used as an insult for women. Specifically, "faggot" referred to an old, "tiresome" woman—someone who was a "burden" to deal with, much like a heavy bundle of wood. It was a misogynistic slur long before it was a homophobic one.
Think about that for a second.
✨ Don't miss: The Long Haired Russian Cat Explained: Why the Siberian is Basically a Living Legend
We see this pattern a lot in linguistics. Words that denote "weakness" or "uselessness" in women are often transferred to men as a way to emasculate them. It’s the same linguistic pipeline that gives us words like "sissy."
British Boarding Schools and "Fagging"
If you grew up in the UK, or if you read enough 19th-century British literature, you’ll run into a completely different meaning. In elite British public schools—places like Eton or Harrow—there was a system called "fagging."
It was basically institutionalized bullying.
Younger students (the "fags") had to act as personal servants to the older boys (the "prefects"). A "fag" had to shine shoes, carry bags, and run errands. If an older boy shouted "Fag!" in the hallway, the younger boys had to race to him; the last one to arrive usually got the worst job.
- It was about hierarchy.
- It was about domestic labor.
- It was about being "lesser."
While this "fagging" system wasn't inherently sexual, it created a dynamic of submission. You have a younger, "weaker" male serving a dominant, older male. You can see how the American ear might have picked up on this power dynamic and twisted it. In the UK, "fag" also became slang for a cigarette—likely because a cigarette is something that gets "burnt out" or is a "little stick."
How It Crossed the Atlantic
So, how did we get from British schoolboys and bundles of wood to the American slur? This is where things get a bit blurry in the early 20th century.
The first recorded American use of "faggot" to describe a gay man appeared around 1914. It showed up in a vocabulary of criminal slang. Back then, the word was being used in urban centers like New York and Chicago. It likely evolved from the earlier "tiresome woman" insult. To call a man a "faggot" in 1914 was to call him "effeminate" or "womanly."
🔗 Read more: Why Every Mom and Daughter Photo You Take Actually Matters
It was a way of saying he didn't fit the rigid, "tough" mold of American masculinity.
By the 1920s and 30s, the word had solidified. It wasn't just a general insult anymore; it was specific. It was a weapon. While "homosexual" was the clinical term used by doctors, and "gay" was becoming a code word used within the community itself, "fag" was what the outside world used to demean.
The Power of Reclaiming the Slur
By the late 1960s and 70s, everything changed. The Stonewall Uprising happened. The AIDS crisis hit in the 80s. People were dying, and the government was largely silent.
In that pressure cooker, something fascinating happened with the language.
Groups like Queer Nation and individuals like the playwright Larry Kramer (who wrote The Normal Heart) started using these words on their own terms. If the world was going to yell these names at them, they would wear the names like armor. This is called "linguistic reappropriation."
You take the sting out by owning the term.
"We're here, we're queer, get used to it."
💡 You might also like: Sport watch water resist explained: why 50 meters doesn't mean you can dive
That wasn't just a slogan; it was a psychological shift. For many, reclaiming the word "fag" was a way of saying, "You can't use this to hurt me if I've already claimed it for myself." However, this is deeply controversial. Even today, there is no consensus within the LGBTQ+ community about whether the word should be used at all. For older generations who lived through the "Lavender Scare" or the height of the AIDS epidemic, the word carries too much trauma. For younger people, it might feel like just another edgy word.
Why We Should Care Where Words Come From
Words aren't just sounds. They are fossils.
When you ask where did the term fag come from, you're really looking at a map of how society has treated anyone who doesn't fit the "norm." It started as a piece of wood. It became a tired woman. It became a bullied schoolboy. It became a cigarette. And eventually, it became a way to dehumanize people based on who they loved.
Understanding this history doesn't necessarily mean you have to like the word or use it. In fact, most experts suggest that unless you belong to the group the word targets, it’s a word to stay far away from. The "sticks" might be a myth, but the fire the word has caused in people's lives is very real.
Moving Forward with the Information
Knowing the etymology gives you a "crap detector" for internet myths. You can now politely correct the person sharing the "Inquisition kindling" story. But more importantly, it makes you realize how much weight our vocabulary carries.
If you're interested in how language evolves, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Context is king. A word's meaning in 1850 is rarely its meaning in 2026.
- Etymology isn't destiny. Just because a word started as "sticks" doesn't mean it isn't harmful now.
- Listen to the targets. The best way to know if a word is okay to say is to listen to the people who have historically had that word thrown at them.
The history of "fag" is a reminder that language is a tool. It can be used to build a fire to keep people warm, or it can be used to burn things down. Choose your words with that in mind. If you want to dive deeper into the history of American slang, I highly recommend checking out the work of Jesse Sheidlower or the Oxford English Dictionary’s historical archives. They track these shifts with a level of detail that shows just how alive our language really is.
Researching the linguistic roots of slurs helps us navigate a world that's often divided by them. It's not just about "political correctness"—it's about historical literacy. The more you know about where these words started, the less power they have to surprise you, and the more power you have to use language responsibly.
Check the sources. Question the memes. And always look for the human story behind the syllable.