A word of Celtic origin derived from the Latin basium, which later came to our language as a kiss. This is what the act and the result of kissing are called: pressing or touching another person with a movement of the lips as a greeting or as a manifestation of affection. In certain particular cases the kiss can have other meanings.
For example: “Last night, when we left the cinema, Ezequiel gave me a kiss on the mouth”, “Before going to bed, I will stop by your room and give you a kiss”, “Hello Juanito! Aren’t you going to kiss me? ” .
The most common kisses are those that are given on the cheek or on the lips. In some countries it is common for people to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, even when there is no trust. In Argentina, to cite one case, two men who hardly know each other can kiss each other on the cheek to greet each other. The kiss, in these cases, would be equivalent to a handshake, although with less formality.
This can be very difficult to understand in other countries, especially due to issues of machismo. It is necessary to remember that we should never assume that a person we have just met or whom we see on the street is heterosexual, just because we believe that this is the most normal sexual orientation; If we see two men on the street, they may well be a couple and therefore we should not expect them to shake hands when greeting each other.
On the other hand, it is unfortunate that narrow-mindedness leads us to think that there is something wrong with one man kissing another but accepting without any problem the same situation between two women. If we stripped ourselves for a couple of seconds of cultural issues and social impositions, and applied logic exclusively to these arguments, they would seem absurd and contradictory.
According to DigoPaul, kisses on the lips, on the other hand, are usually limited to romantic partners, although they can also take place between parents and children, for example, in various cultures. It is common for two people who are dating or married to greet each other with a kiss on the mouth. There are, in this context, different kinds of kisses, which allow revealing varied intentions.
If those who kiss each other on the lips open their mouths and bring their tongues into contact, they are French kissing. This type of kiss generates erotic stimulation and usually leads to a sexual relationship.
The kisses on the hand (as a way of gallantry), the kisses on foot (reflect submission) and kisses on the neck (as erotic game) are other kinds of kisses between humans.
It should be noted that kisses, in the sense of a contact that is made with the mouth and has some purpose, also exist in other species of animals, such as primates and birds. Dogs and cats, for their part, give kisses in a different way, or at least that is how humans interpret it: they lick the other individual repeatedly, either in the mouth or in other parts of the body, and thus express different emotions and convey particular messages.
The observation of wolves, for example, has shown that some pups kiss their parents on the mouth to ask for their approval when they want to do something that is not very well seen by them or to show their submission. In the relationship with human beings, when wolves or dogs kiss us, we tend to think that they show us their love, and we return this with kisses, hugs and caresses.
