It is also interesting to see the less familiar terms given in dictionaries of Hindi, Persian, Spanish and Welsh. 'Molly' also appeared in a French/English dictionary in 1767, as well as in several slang (or 'cant') dictionaries, along with other slang terms such as 'madge'. For example, the word 'molly' appeared in a Swedish/English dictionary in 1762, where it is simply defined as a sodomite, a buggerer, without effeminate connotations. Incidentally, the word 'catamite' is sometimes just a synonym for 'sodomite', and was not always restricted to one who submits to sodomy. Indeed, in Cocker's English dictionary of 1704 sodomy is defined simply as 'male venery', which is really as abstract as the modern synonym 'male homosexuality'. I think we can safely assume that 'buggery' is widely understood as meaning anal intercourse between males, but the word 'sodomy' seems to have a rather broader meaning, i.e. NOTE: In the following selection of definitions from dictionaries published during the eighteenth century, the most common words relating to homosexuality are 'sodomy' and 'buggery', which of course is no surprise.
Homosexual Terms in 18th-century Dictionaries
