complaining persistently or angrily about something; expressing discontent in a loud or annoying way.
From Old English 'bicce,' originally referring to a female dog. The insult evolved from calling someone a 'bitch' to 'bitching,' meaning to complain like an angry dog growls.
The word 'bitch' originally just meant 'female dog,' but became one of English's most versatile insults because people associated female dogs with nagging behavior. It's a perfect example of how sexism gets baked into language itself.
Etymology from 'bitch' (female dog) applied pejoratively to women since Middle English. Complaint language became gendered—women's grievances were trivialized as hysteria or nagging. The verb naturalizes dismissal of women's concerns.
Use 'complaining,' 'criticizing,' 'raising concerns,' or 'grieving' to discuss dissent without gendered contempt.
["complaining","criticizing","voicing concerns","grieving","protesting"]
Women's complaints have always been legitimate; gendering complaint language systematically delegitimized collective organizing and workplace grievances.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.