Mother@(&*#$ (also contracted forms mother and mofo and, phonetically, in African-American vernacular speech, mutha****a) is a common insult and profanity in the English language and is widely considered obscene and inappropriate. By virtue of its history of usage, mother&(#@*$ generally is regarded as African-American in origin. Literally, it accuses one of violating, perhaps, the oldest taboo known to humankind, incest. However, as with most epithets, its use is pejorative, rather than literal. Historically, it was a vicious taunt, a damning insult -- and a veiled allusion to the destruction of black male familial hegemony under chattel slavery. The power of the word was that it attacked one's sense of manhood. Regardless of its historical or cultural context, however, many consider mother(*#&@(*&# the mother of all curse words. The cause of countless barroom brawls and streetfights, it is purported to have sparked at least one prison riot.
Mother&(*@#$ has taken on additional meanings through continued use, its evolution being shaped primarily by, again, the African-American community. It has come to mean a formidable or inexorable force, as in the threat: "Payback is a , but revenge is a mutha@#(&*$." It is also an expression of disgust or contempt: "Now, ain't that a mutha#(*@&$!" Mother(*#&$@ also has come to be used in some circles as a general pronoun.
The initials M.F. became a common, more polite substitute for mother(#@*&$!, as did the term Maryland farmer ...