pussycat

[Archived Topic]

My eight-year old asked me the other day, "why do we call cats, pussycats"? Good question, I thought, but I couldn't answer it. Can you?

Submitted by ( - )

[Archived Reply]

Looks like PUSSY evolved approximately from vulva, to pouch, to bag, to anything soft and cuddly, to house cat (~1575), and back full circle to the other pussy (~1875)while still maintaining the PUSSYCAT.
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Random house Unabridged:
pussy n., pl. pussies.
1. a cat, esp. a kitten.

[1575-85; PUSS + -Y]
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pussy n., pl. -sies. Slang (vulgar).
1. the vulva.
2. sexual intercourse.
[1875-80; perhaps from the Dutch, a dim. of 'poes' vulva, akin to LG pusse vulva, OE pusa bag; see PURSE]
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American Heritage:

puss-y-cat n.
1. A cat.
2. Informal. One who is regarded as easygoing, mild-mannered, or amiable.
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Merriam-Websters Unabridged:

Etymology: earlier 'puss' vulva (perhaps of Low German or Scandinavian origin) + -y, diminutive suffix; akin to Old Norse 'puss' pocket, pouch, Icelandic 'pussa' vulva, Low German 'puse' vulva, Old English 'pusa,' 'posa' bag, Greek 'byein' to stuff, plug

1 : female genitals; especially : VULVA — usually considered vulgar
2 : SEXUAL INTERCOURSE — usually considered vulgar
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Morris Dictionary of Word And Phrase Origins:

PUSSY as a name for a pet came from the Old English word 'pusa,' meaning 'bag.' Intime pusa' came to be used for anything soft and cuddly — a description that could fit most house cats [and possibly THE PUTTIN TAME]
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Barnhardt Concise Dictionaryof Etymology:

PUSS noun cat. Before 1530, a coinventional name for a cat, common to several Germanic languages (compare Dutch 'poes,' Low German 'pus,' 'pus-katte¡', Norwegin 'puse,' 'pus,'— PUSSY noun 1726, diminutive of 'pus¡' — PUSSYFOOT verb (1903) — PUSSY WILLOW (1869)
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Ken Greenwald (Fort Collins, Colorado — U.S.A.)
4/15/02

Reply from Ken Greenwald (Fort Collins, CO - U.S.A.)

[Archived Reply]

Sorry for the strange symbols 'Y' with a double strike, and others. Have no idea why that happened. File looks perfectly normal on this end.

Ken

Reply from Ken Greenwald (Fort Collins, CO - U.S.A.)

[Archived Reply]

Maybe you just have a yen for symbolism, Ken (or should I be calling you 'Zen')? *G*

Reply from Erik Kowal ( - England)

[Archived Reply]

Thanks for the information. Now, how to tell my son???

Reply from ( - )

[Archived Reply]

If you're too embarrassed to tell him from your own lips, I suggest you print out Ken's explanation and tell your son, "Hey, I asked about 'pussycat' for you on the internet and this is the reply I got." Then place the printout on the table next to a dictionary and leave the room for a while. When you return he may or may not have looked up 'vulva', 'genitals' and 'sexual intercourse'.

Either way, his original question will have been answered to his satisfaction.

Reply from Erik Kowal ( - England)

[Archived Reply]

Just tell him it came from an old Norse word for a bag or something soft. He'll probably get the full explanation in 4th or 5th grade. *G*

Reply from Leif Thorvaldson (Eatonville - U.S.A.)

[Archived Reply]

How about "pussy willow"?

Also, how about "dust pussy" (what my mother (born 1937)
called a dust bunny once (and never again...)).

The commonality seems to be softness or furri-/fuzziness.

Reply from ( - )

[Archived Reply]

I remember once reading about a group of dancers. I think they were sisters, who used to do a sort of can-can or provocative routine. They were said to have hidden kittens in their skirts, hence, see her, well... you get it.

Reply from ( - )

[Archived Reply]

pussy

Reply from ( - )

[charlemagne96]

According to http://www.moggies.co.uk/whycat.html, Why is a Cat called a Cat?
"The Egyptians also provide us with an explanation of why we call a cat puss or pussy, these being variations of the name of the early Egyptian cat goddess, Bast (pronounced Pasht)."

My 3 year old asked me this question, so of course I looked online (haha). This article makes the most sense to me. I hope anyone else searching for the answer to this question will read the article.

the more you know.....

[trolley]

When we were kids, my mum used "puss" to refer to a face, especially an unhappy one.
"Don't give me that puss."
"Don't sit there with that puss on (your face)."
"I could have smacked him right in the puss."
I hadn't heard it used that way in many years until a couple of weeks ago. Some guy said it on TV.
"...and then she got a puss on." (he sounded like a New Yorker)