Pussy - Etymology

Etymology

The origins of the word are unknown. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) says that the word puss is common to several Germanic languages, usually as a call name for the cat — not a synonym for cat, as it is in English.

The Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's Third International Dictionary point out similarities with words including:

• Old Norse, pūss (pocket)
• Old Saxon pūse (vulva)
• Old English pusa (bag)

The medieval French word pucelle referred to a young adolescent girl or a virgin, although this comes from a slang term for virginity puce (= flea) rather than referring to cats (but cf. French chatte (female cat), a current vulgarism for the female genitalia). In the 17th century, the term was also used to refer to women in general. Philip Stubbs, an English pamphleteer, wrote in his 1583 book "The Anatomie of Abuses" that "the word pussie is now used of a woman".

It has been informally suggested in folk etymology that it is a shortened form of the word "pusillanimous", which comes from Latin words meaning "tiny spirit" and is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "showing a lack of courage or determination" or cowardly. Though this meaning would seem to be consistent with the intention of the word "pussy" when used as an insult toward a man, it is a false cognate unrelated to the Germanic derivations of puss and pussy.

Although unclear, the local term for "cat" in several Austronesian languages have similarities to the word "pussy".

• Ami, (Taiwan) - pusi (cat)
• Samoan, (Samoa) - pusi (cat)
• Tagalog, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Ilokano (Philippines) - pusa (cat)
• Buginese, (Indonesia) - fosa (cat)
• Ifugao, (Philippines) - puha (cat)
• Iban, (Malaysia) - posa (cat)
• Malagasy, (Madagascar) - piso (cat), fosa (cat-like animal; Fossa)
• Maori, (New Zealand) - puihi, poti (cat)
• Hawaiian, (United States) - popoki (cat)
• Kilivila, (Papua New Guinea) - pusa (cat)
• Tongan, (Tonga) - pusi (cat)