mf

¹

1. medium frequency.
2. millifarad; millifarads.

MF

²

abbreviation for

1. medium frequency.
2. Middle French.

mF

³

or mf

1. millifarad; millifarads.

mf.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Music. mezzo forte.
2. microfarad.

m/f

⁵

or M/F

1. male or female: used especially in classified ads.

M.F.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. Master of Forestry.
2. Middle French.

MF

¹

abbreviation for

1. radio medium frequency
2. Middle French

mf

²

abbreviation for

1. mezzo forte

Word History and Origins

Origin of mf¹

Italian: moderately loud

Example Sentences

Faye Webster Almost certainly the weekend’s quietest act, singer-songwriter Faye Webster was a mesmerizing presence on the festival’s Gnaw stage between Sexyy Red’s throwdown and an elaborate tribute to the late MF Doom.

From Los Angeles Times

Toward the end of the nearly one-hour set, producer Daedelus came out to play his accordion on the rapper’s 2004 crowd favorite “Accordion,” and Erykah Badu — who performed on the main stage earlier in the night — sang a beautiful rendition of Sade’s “Kiss of Life,” which is a sample on MF Doom’s “Doomsday.”

From Los Angeles Times

Formed in 1947 in Mumbai, the group counted leading artists such as Francis Souza, SH Raza, MF Husain and Bhanu Athaiya - the first Indian to win an Oscar - as its members.

From BBC

His disciple and renowned artist Laxman Shreshtha recounts in Naik’s book how MF Husain would often try to visit Gaitonde at his Delhi residence.

From BBC

There was also a text that said “we gonna nail this Young mf—.”

From Los Angeles Times

About This Word

What else does MF mean?

Content warning: this article contains strong language.

MF can stand for many things: mutual friends, Millennium Falcon, mezzo forte, mad flow, and medium frequency, to name a few. Its most common online meaning, though, is motherfucker or motherfucking.

Where does MF come from?

MF comes from one of the strongest swears in the English language: motherfucker. Motherfucking is found in the 1880s, and motherfucker, for a “vile, worthless person,” in the 1910s.

In the 1950s, motherfucker, showing the flip from bad to good seen in many swear words, came to mean “badass.” Motherfucking also became a general intensifier (e.g., That’s motherfucking awesome).

In 1970, a Jet article printed M.F. in a report about how Georgia legislator and civil rights leader Julian Bond called Vice President Spiro Agnew a “Maryland Farmer.” This is a euphemism for motherfucker based on its initials, MF.

If anyone wasn’t already aware that MF was a cleaner way to say or print motherfucker, Prince’s 1992 hit “Sexy M.F.” filled them in. 

The internet and social media, ever the environment for shorthands and workarounds, helped spread MF in the 1990s–2000s.

How is MF used in real life?

MF can stand in for all your MF needs (e.g., a motherfucker or the modifier motherfucking). MF’er, for motherfucker, is a variant, as is MF‘ing.

In the digital age, you’ll likely see MF online for people either trying to save a little time in their swearing or avoid the outright force of motherfucker. People may also use MF for some self-censorship in speech.

You can’t say motherfucker on broadcast TV in the U.S. and a lot of print outlets won’t publish it, so MF is a commonly used substitute by media sources from Fox News to Mother Jones when reporting.

I’m starting to find myself and I’m realizin I’m a cool mf

— Tamara Powell (@TamaraPowell9) November 27, 2018

Indian film star Priyanka Chopra sparked some controversy in 2017 when she called her ex-boyfriend a MF. 

Hip-hop artist Shotgun Wang inspired a meme with his 2017 track “I Keep That MF Thang On Me.” The MF in the track is a shoutout to its producer, MF Doom, whose MF stands for metal force, metal fingers, and even mad flow. But we’re pretty sure they are both taking advantage of MF‘s other association. The meme featured people carrying unexpected things in their pockets.

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.