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First Use of the Word Condom
The year was 1665. The word, condom, first appeared in print. Learn about the introduction of a word you’re probably embarrassed to say in front of your mom.
The word condom was introduced long after the actual device which took the name. The contraceptive later dubbed as the condom was in use in the Middle East for centuries before Europeans adopted their use. Early condoms were made of sheep or lamb intestines, dried, and then oiled to make it flexible. They were renamed in England when they were popularized there, and it is in England where we see the word condom first appear in print.
The court of King Charles II was known for its loose and scandalous behavior. Dr. Conton, Charles’ court physician, for personal or professional reasons, created contraceptive devices like those in use in the middle east. Another personality in the lascivious court of King Charles II was a well known Colonel Condum of the Royal Guards, he and the court physician Dr. Conton made these devices well known, and created a demand for them.
Although it was Dr. Conton who made the devices, and probably distributed them, they were probably named after Colonel Condum of the Royal Guards. These early contraceptives were purchased by the famous Giovanni Casanova, the great lover. It is reported that he would purchase up to 12 at a time of the “English caps” he called them!
I hope you’ve found this article informative and that it entertained you. Now you can shock and amaze your friends with your newly learned trivia!
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