History. The word arse in English derives from the Proto-Germanic (reconstructed) word *arsaz, from the Proto-Indo-European word *ors-, meaning “buttocks” or “backside”. The combined form arsehole is first attested from 1500 in its literal use to refer to the anus.The metaphorical use of the word to refer to the worst place in a region (e.g., “the arsehole of the world”), is first attested in …

