Cumming

The use of the words cum and cumming can often stir a spirited debate. Should they be spelled with the ‘u’ or should they be spelled with the traditional spelling of ‘come’ and ‘coming?’ This argument has raged on for many, many years and can be quite divisive, despite the core of the situation simply defining sexual pleasure.

The full etymological history of either cumming, or coming, is unknown. The concept of using this type of word has been in the English language as a colloquialism for orgasm since at least the 1400s (principally as part of the malting process in alcohol creation) and later in an erotic poem in 1650 called “Walking in a Meadowe Greene.” The roots of the word seem to point to the ‘come’ usage, but it could be argued that ‘cum’ emerges if people consider the Latin cum, which means “in addition to.”

The debate between cumming and coming can almost be reduced down to class distinction. ‘Coming’ is sometimes deemed the mature, educated version of orgasm signifiers, whereas some will argue that cum and cumming are immature and crass, best left to younger people, porn, and sexting. However, others will note that language, much like sexuality and fluid, are mutable. It is unknown which version of the words are more popular, however cum and cumming have certainly made inroads to acceptability and prevalence as people continue embracing texting as communication. It is just that much quicker to type cum than it is come and saves space if you’re on a social media platform, like Twitter, where every letter counts.

One place where the debate frequently continues is in written erotica. Many writers chose one or the other and stick with that preference. However, they may shake their usage up among different kinds of characters and to create distinct scenes.