History of Sexuality

For this paper, I want you to choose a single word that you think we must understand if we are to study the history of sexuality. Then, in 2-3 pages , give me a brief sketch of that word’s meaning(s), history, and usage in early modernity. For this, you’ll need to use the OED , Lexicons of Early Modern English (LEME) , and Early English Books Online (EEBO) . How did early moderns define the word? Do we define it differently now, and if so, when did its meaning shift? Did the word accrue new meanings as it travelled across time? Did older meanings drop out? Why? What stories might a word’s etymology tell us about the way it entered into our language, and the uses English speaking people found in it? Was your word used often in early modern England, or only a few times?