Pussy

Pussy is a term used as a noun, an adjective, and—in rare instances—a verb in the English language. It has several meanings, as slang, as euphemism, and as vulgarity. Most commonly, it is used as a noun with the meaning "cat", "coward", or "weakling". In slang usage, it can mean "vulva or vagina" and less commonly, as a form of synecdoche, meaning "sexual intercourse with a woman".^[1] Because of its multiple senses including both innocent and vulgar connotations, pussy is often the subject of double entendre.

The etymology of the word is not clear. Several different senses of the word have different histories or origins.^[2][3][4] The earliest records of pussy are in the 19th century, meaning something fluffy.

Etymology

The noun pussy meaning "cat" comes from the

The words puss and derived forms pussy and pusscat were extended to refer to girls or women by the seventeenth century.[2]^[5] This sense of pussy was used to refer specifically to genitalia by the eighteenth century, and from there further extended to refer to sexual intercourse involving a woman by the twentieth century.^[2]

The Webster's Third International Dictionary points out similarities between pussy in the sense of "vulva" and Low German or Scandinavian words meaning "pocket" or "purse", including Old Norse pūss and Old English pusa.^[8]

The

As a homograph, pussy also has the meaning "containing pus";^[4] with this meaning, the word is pronounced /ˈpʌsi/, while the other forms are all pronounced /ˈpʊsi/.

Meanings of the verb relate to the common noun senses, including "to act like a cat", "to act like a coward", or "to have sex with a woman".^[10] Adjective meanings are likewise related to the noun.

Uses

Cat and similar

Both in English and in

The Oxford English Dictionary gives as the first meaning of the noun: "Chiefly colloq[uial]. A girl or woman exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat, esp[ecially] sweetness or amiability. Freq[uently] used as a pet name or as a term of endearment." The examples it cites from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries are not sexual. Another example, not cited by the OED, is one of the main characters of E. Nesbit's Five Children and It - Jane, nicknamed Pussy by her siblings.

The verb pussyfoot, meaning to walk softly or to speak in an evasive or cautious manner, may come from the adjective pussy-footed "having a cat-like foot", or directly from the noun pussyfoot. This word, first attested in the late nineteenth century, is related to both the "cat" and the "woman" meanings of pussy.^[11]

Female genitalia

In contemporary English, use of the word pussy to refer to women themselves is considered derogatory and demeaning, treating women as sexual objects.^[12] As a reference to genitals or to sexual intercourse, the word is considered vulgar slang. Studies find the word is used more commonly in conversations among men than in groups of women or mixed-gender groups, though subjects report using pussy more often than other slang terms for female genitals.^[13] There are women seeking to reclaim the word^[14] to symbolise sexual pleasure,^[15] power,^[16] and trust in their bodies (e.g. around childbirth).^[17]

Donald Trump's use of the word to describe celebrity interactions with women ("grab them by the pussy", known as the Access Hollywood tape) provoked strong reactions by media figures and politicians across the political spectrum; an image of a snarling cat with the slogan "pussy grabs back" became a "rallying cry for female rage against Trump".^[18] Pink "pussyhats" (knitted caps with cat-like ears) were a notable feature of the worldwide protests held the day after Trump's inauguration as President of the United States.^[19] The name attempts to reclaim the derogatory term^[20][21] and was never intended to be an anatomical representation.^[22]

Words referring to cats are used as vulgar slang for female genitals in some other European languages as well. Examples include German Muschi (literally "house cat"),^[23] French chatte ("female cat", also used to refer to sexual intercourse),^[24] and Dutch poes ("puss").^[5] The Portuguese term rata (literally "female rat")^[25] and Norwegian mus ("mouse")^[26] are also animal terms used as vulgar slang for women's genitals.

Weakness

The word pussy is also used in a derogatory sense to mean cowardly, weak, or easily fatigued. The Collins Dictionary says: "(taboo, slang, mainly US) an ineffectual or timid person."^[27] It may refer to a male who is not considered sufficiently masculine, as in: "The coach calls us pussies."^[28]

Men who are dominated by women (particularly by their partners or spouses and at one time referred to as "hen-pecked"; see

Pussy is one of a large number of English words that has both erotic and non-erotic meanings. Such double entendres have long been used in the creation of sexual humor.^[32] This double meaning of "pussy" has been used for over a hundred years by performers, including the late-19th-century vaudeville act the Barrison Sisters, who performed the notorious routine "Do You Want To See My Pussy?" in which they raised their skirts to reveal live kittens.^[33]

In the British comedy

In the 2002 film

rapper insults his rivals by including the line, "How can six dicks be pussies?" The line relies on double meanings of both dick (either "contemptible person" or "male genitalia") and pussy ("weak" or "female genitalia"). Such word play presents a challenge for translators of the film.^[35]

radical feminist punk rock collective that stages illegal events in Moscow protesting President Vladimir Putin and the status of women in Russian society. Band member "Kot" says that she knows how the word is used in English, and that it is also used in Russian as term of endearment for little girls. These various meanings create a tension with the word "riot", which the group likes.^[36]

In 2017

Shorty Award.^[39]

See also

• Cunt, another old vulgarism for the vulva
• -ussy, a derivative suffix

References

1. ^ "pussy, n. and adj.²". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "pussy, n. and adj.²". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b} "pussy, adj.¹". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
4. ^ ^{a b} "pussy, adj.³". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} "puss, n.¹". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
6. OCLC 468942038
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7. OCLC 504785161
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8. ISBN 978-0-8777-9302-1
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9. ^ "pucelle, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
10. ^ "pussy, v.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
11. ^ "pussyfoot, v.". Oxford English Dictionary (third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007.
12. JSTOR 455584
    .
13. doi:10.1080/00224498209551146
    .
14. ISBN 9781781806364
    .
15. ^ "Come to Mama". New York Magazine. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Mama Gena explains that using the word vagina is not unlike calling your penis your prostate. "When women use the word pussy, it sets them free. They flush, they get all crazy. They feel all wild. It snaps a woman into her sassiness."
16. ^ "The young women on a mission to reclaim the word 'pussy'". BBC Three. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2018. It has a kind of a universally pleasing and funny tonality. Plus, 'pussy' is a euphemism which mirrors the visually euphemistic images that we choose. We all know the internet was invented for cats.
17. ^ Burfoot, Annette (1991). "Midwifery: An Appropriate(d) Symbol of Women's Reproductive Rights?" (PDF). Issues in Reproductive and Genetic Engineering. 4 (2): 119–127. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
18. ^ Puglise, Nicole. 'Pussy grabs back' becomes rallying cry for female rage against Trump, The Guardian (October 10, 2016).
19. ^ Kurtzleben, Danielle (January 21, 2017). "With 'Pussyhats,' Liberals Get Their Own Version Of The Red Trucker Hat". NPR.org. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
20. ^ Keating, Fiona (January 14, 2017). "Pink 'pussyhats' will be making statement at the Women's March on Washington". International Business Times UK. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
21. ^ "'Pussyhat' knitters join long tradition of crafty activism" Archived January 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine BBC News. January 19, 2017.
22. ^ Jordan Shamus, Kristen (January 10, 2018). "Pink pussyhats: Why some activists are ditching them". KSDK.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
23. ISBN 978-0-19-860248-4
    .
24. ISBN 978-2-85036-668-0
    .
25. ISBN 978-1-136-99725-9
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26. ISBN 978-8200182931
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27. ^ "Pussies definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com.
28. ISBN 9780761912729
    .
29. ISBN 978-0-19-954370-0
    , retrieved 2024-01-03
30. ^ "Definition of 'pussy-whipped' in American English". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
31. ^ "Definition of WHIP". www.merriam-webster.com. 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2024-01-03. What does whipped mean in slang use? In slang use, if someone in a romantic relationship is whipped, they let their romantic partner have a great deal of control over what they do, where they go, etc.
32. PMID 4814115
    .
33. ISBN 978-1-84627-452-7
    .
34. ISBN 978-0-313-39934-3
    .
35. doi:10.1075/target.20.2.04tai
    .
36. ^ Flintoff, Corey. "In Russia, Punk-Rock Riot Girls Rage Against Putin". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
37. ^ Brabaw, Kasandra (4 October 2017). "The Difference Between Your Vagina & Vulva — As Told By Cats". Refinery 29. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
38. ^ Scott, Ellen (5 October 2017). "Planned Parenthood's new campaign uses cats to teach us all about vaginas". Metro. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
39. ^ "Taking Care of Your "Pussy" Videos - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.

External links

Look up pussy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Don't be so beastly! by Justine Hankins. The Guardian, June 14, 2003.
• "Pussy". Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828). Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-05-20.