Siri gives an R-rated definition of the word 'mother'

Whoa, Siri, when did you learn that word?
 By 
Karissa Bell
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Welp, Siri might have some explaining to do.

Apple's notoriously sassy assistant gives a very NSFW answer when you ask it to define the word "mother."

First spotted by users in Reddit's r/Apple subreddit (h/t Ars Technica), the second definition of "mother" provided by Siri is "short for motherfucker."

We put this to the test ourselves several times, and confirmed that Siri does indeed give the R-rated definition when prompted for a second definition.

You can see for yourself in the video below (warning, the language is, obviously, NSFW).

Notably, this isn't the first time Siri has gotten flak over one of its definitions. The assistant offered an offensive definition for the word "bitch" in 2015. Though Apple quickly corrected that, it looks like Siri's latest colorful definition comes from the same source: the Oxford English Dictionary.

You see, Siri's definitions are taken directly from the OED (via Oxford's Dictionaries API), and "short for motherfucker" is indeed the second definition listed for the entry for "mother."

We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update if we hear back.

Topics Apple iPhone Siri

Mashable Image
Karissa Bell

Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.

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