hussy

English[edit]

From earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English houswyf (“housewife”), equivalent to house +‎ wife. Modern housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable through regular phonetic change, as well as gradual negative senses and historical factors.

hussy (plural hussies)

(obsolete) A housewife or housekeeper.
- 1892, Mark Twain, Meisterschaft: In Three Acts, act III, scene I, page 199:
  WIRTHIN. Well, I should think so! They just dote on that hussy—can't seem to get enough of her. Gretchen tells me so herself. And the care she takes of them!
A sexually immoral woman.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
  She called him `pig' in bastard Arabic, and he called her `hussy' in good English, but these amenities were forgotten in the face of the catastrophe that had overwhelmed her at the hands of her Queen.
A cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behavior.
Synonym: minx
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
  Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust. Looking back, I recollect she had very beautiful brown eyes.
(obsolete) A case or bag for needles, thread, etc.
Synonym: housewife

(obsolete) a housewife or housekeeper — see housewife

a sexually immoral woman

Bulgarian: у́личница (bg) f (úličnica)
Finnish: letukka (fi)
French: traînée (fr) f
German: Flittchen (de) n, Schlampe (de) f, Luder (de) n
Macedonian: блу́дница f (blúdnica), бесра́мница f (besrámnica), ули́чарка f (ulíčarka)
Ottoman Turkish: قالتاق (kaltak)
Polish: ulicznica (pl) f
Russian: шлю́ха (ru) f (šljúxa), потаску́ха (ru) f (potaskúxa), потаску́шка (ru) f (potaskúška), блядь (ru) f (bljadʹ) (vulgar)

a cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behaviour

Bulgarian: наха́лница (bg) f (nahálnica)
Finnish: letukka (fi)
French: pimbêche (fr) f, pécore (fr) f
German: Luder (de) n
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: qehpik f
Macedonian: бесра́мничка f (besrámnička)
Russian: де́рзкая девчо́нка f (dérzkaja devčónka), наха́лка (ru) f (naxálka), ха́мка (ru) f (xámka), бессты́дница (ru) f (besstýdnica), грубия́нка (ru) f (grubijánka) (rude)

(obsolete) a case or bag for needles, thread, etc