Sentence:  Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: <WSD>vows</WSD> and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A declaration or assertion.