hussy

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhʌsi/, /ˈhʌzi/
• Rhymes: -ʌsi, Rhymes: -ʌzi

Noun

hussy (plural hussies)

1. (obsolete) A housewife or housekeeper.
   • 1892, Mark Twain, “Act III, Scene I”, in Meisterschaft: In Three Acts, 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!

2. A sexually immoral woman.
3. A cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behavior; a minx.

   Synonyms: minx, bitch

   • 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.

4. (obsolete) A case or bag for needles, thread, etc.

Translations

(obsolete) a housewife or housekeeper

• Bulgarian: домакиня (bg) f (domakinja)
• French: garce (fr) (fam.)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: домохозя́йка (ru) f (domoxozjájka)

A sexually immoral woman

• Bulgarian: уличница (bg) f (uličnica)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Flittchen (de) n, Schlampe (de) f, Luder (de) n

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

• Bulgarian: нахалница (bg) f (nahalnica)
• French: pimbêche (fr) f, pécore (fr) f
• German: Luder (de) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kurdish:
• Russian: дерзкая девчо́нка f (derzkaja devčónka), потаску́шка (ru) f (potaskúška) (slut)

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

• Russian: иго́льник (ru) m (igólʹnik)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}