The word faggot has been used in English since the late 16th century as an abusive term for women, particularly old women,[REF] and reference to homosexuality may derive from this,[REF][REF] as female terms are often used with reference to homosexual or effeminate men (cf.
An alternative possibility is that the word is connected with the practice of fagging in British private schools, in which younger boys performed (potentially sexual) duties for older boys, although the word faggot was never used in this context, only fag.