Den of sin
The word den of sin denotes a place where, according to certain ideas, there is particularly "sinful", immoral or reprehensible behavior. Historically, the term often refers to sexual acts and is associated with lust , decadence , prostitution or orgy . In today's usage, the disregard for conservative moral concepts is usually meant ironically .
The term is rather metaphorically used, literally composed of " sin ", in the Christian understanding wrong, of God separate life or evil act, and " puddle ", a small, rather dirty pond or as fiery Pfuhl the hell in the King James . The Duden points in the disambiguation of the less frequently used word of iniquity , so a "place, place of moral turpitude, dissolute debauchery, the truck " is meant. This shows the Christian origin of the name, derived from ancient Babylon ("Babel"), which is presented in the Bible as a place of unbelief and fornication and is also expressed in the description of the whore Babylon . Also apply Sodom and Gomorrah as a typical cesspool.
The German dictionary of the Brothers Grimm lists uses of the word in German literature since the 16th century and declares it as 1) a state of worst sin-stain and also as a 2) place of vice . During this time, the dissolute and permissive life of the big city was described as a den of sin, especially in Paris and Berlin . Occasionally the expression city of sin is also found .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden Online: Sündenbabel
- ↑ Den of Sin. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 20 : Strom – Szische - (X, 4th section). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1942 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
- ^ City of Sin. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 20 : Strom – Szische - (X, 4th section). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1942 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).