The term “condom” has a fascinating history that dates back to the early seventeenth century. Scottish noble John Hamilton was the first to mention it in his writings, spelling it as “condum.” This was followed by various other spellings such as “condon,” “condam,” “quandam,” “cundum,” and eventually “condom.” The word was often censored or bowdlerized, leading to a shroud of secrecy surrounding it. Interestingly, the term was not used in media until the late 1980s and was even absent from the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Due to the lack of confirmed usages, the exact etymology of the word remains uncertain. While there is an urban myth that it was named after a British court physician, a more plausible theory suggests that it may have originated from the Italian word for “glove,” “guanto.” Ultimately, the true origins of the word may never be fully known.
