expletive

 
Pronunciation: /ɪkˈspliːtɪv, ɛk-/

noun

  • 1an oath or swear word: he was greeted by a stream of expletives
  • 2 Grammar a word or phrase used to fill out a sentence or a line of verse without adding to the sense.

adjective

Grammar
  • (of a word or phrase) serving to fill out a sentence or line of verse.

Origin:

late Middle English (as an adjective): from late Latin expletivus, from explere 'fill out', from ex- 'out' + plere 'fill'. The noun sense 'word used merely to fill out a sentence' (early 17th century) was applied specifically to a swear word in the early 19th century