puss

See also: pus

English

Pronunciation

• (cat, woman, vulva; mouth, face): enPR: po͝os, IPA^(key): /pʊs/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊs

Etymology 1

Probably from Middle Low German pūs, pūskatte or Dutch poes (“puss, cat”, slang for “vulva”), ultimately from a common Germanic word for cat, perhaps ultimately imitative of a sound made to get its attention (compare Arabic بسة (bissa)).

Akin to West Frisian poes, Low German Puus, Puuskatte, Danish pus, dialectal Swedish kattepus, Norwegian pus.

Found also in several other European, North African and Asian languages; compare Romanian pisică, Persian پیشی (piši), Tamil பூசை (pūcai), Tagalog pusa and Sardinian pisittu.

Noun

puss (countable and uncountable, plural pusses)

1. (informal, often as a term of address) A cat.

   Our local theatre is showing Puss in Boots.

   Come here, puss! I've got some milk for you.

2. (dated, endearing) A girl or young woman, or any child.
3. (dated, hunting) A hare.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, “In which is seen a more moving Spectacle, than all the Blood in the Bodies of Thwackum and Blifil and of Twenty other such, is capable of producing”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume II, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book V, page 220:

     He then began to beat about, in the ſame Language, and in the ſame Manner, as if he had been beating for a Hare, and at laſt cried out, 'Soho! Puſs is not far off. Here's her Form, upon my Soul; I believe I may cry ſtole away.'

   • 1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], “A Day with the Capercailzies”, in H. L. Brækstad, transl., Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, →OCLC, page 77:

     '[…] It won't kill Puss any better for that.' / "'But, goodness gracious, what can that hare be made of?' I asked.

4. (vulgar, slang) The vulva (female genitalia).
5. (uncountable, vulgar, slang, metonymically) Sex with a woman.
   • 1986, Tim Kazurinsky, Denise DeClue, About Last Night, spoken by Bernie (Jim Belushi):

     So don't know! So, what are you gonna do? Sell your birthright for a little bit of puss?

6. (vulgar, slang, chiefly Canada, US) A coward; a wuss; someone who is unable to stand up for themselves.

Synonyms

• (cat): moggie/moggy

Derived terms

• glamourpuss
• puss caterpillar
• puss-gentleman
• puss in a bag
• puss in the corner
• puss moth
• puss out
• puss-puss
• sea-puss
• sea puss
• sour puss

 

Related terms

• pussy

Etymology 2

Of Celtic origin, from or akin to Irish pus (“mouth, lip”), from Middle Irish bus.

Noun

puss (plural pusses)

1. (slang) The mouth.

   Shut your puss before I shut it for you.

   • 1991, New York Magazine, volume 24, number 21, page 62:

     Hubbert has a rasping voice and a razory laugh, and he's busy and theatrical in the worst way — a noisy performing pro with whirlwind arms and a saturnine puss.

2. (slang) The face.

   She gave him a slap in the puss.

Synonyms

• (mouth): cakehole, gob, mush, trap

Derived terms

• sourpuss

Etymology 3

Noun

puss (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of pus
   • 2010 Alien Purgatory page 40

     It didn't move as much, and the same teary puss leaked from its eyes.

   • 2012 Southern Supposition page 132

     People called him Puss Head because if you crossed him, he went to great lengths to make sure that before you died, puss leaked from your head.

   • 2016 When Crickets Cry page 267

     Puss leaked out from beneath white gauze on his back and trickled down his spine.

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

Anagrams

• PSUs, USPS, USPs, sups, susp

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʉs/

Etymology 1

From pusse (“to clean, polish, plaster, render”).

Noun

puss m (definite singular pussen, indefinite plural pusser, definite plural pussene)

1. polish, finery
2. (a layer of) plaster (mortar), plastering
3. finery

Etymology 2

From Latin pus.

Noun

puss m or n (definite singular pussen or pusset)

1. (pathology) pus (yellowish fluid from infected tissue)

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German putze, pusse, posse. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to hit”), likely in part through Old French boce (“bump”). Compare German Posse, Dutch poets.

Noun

puss n (definite singular pusset, indefinite plural puss, definite plural pussa or pussene)

1. trick, prank

References

• “puss” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From pusse (“to clean, polish, plaster, render”).

Noun

puss m (definite singular pussen, indefinite plural pussar, definite plural pussane)

1. polish, finery
2. (a layer of) plaster (mortar), plastering
3. finery

Etymology 2

From Latin pus.

Noun

puss m or n (definite singular pussen or pusset)

1. (pathology) pus (yellowish fluid from infected tissue)

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German putze, pusse, posse. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to hit”), likely in part through Old French boce (“bump”). Compare German Posse, Dutch poets.

Noun

puss n (definite singular pusset, indefinite plural puss, definite plural pussa)

1. trick, prank

References

• “puss” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɵs/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Disputed origin. Likely onomatopoeic.

Noun

puss c

1. Peck; a light or dispassionate kiss performed with closed lips, used for example as a greeting or in non-sensual/non-sexual contexts.

Declension

Declension of puss

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	puss	puss
	definite	pussen	pussens
plural	indefinite	pussar	pussars
	definite	pussarna	pussarnas

Related terms

• pussa

See also

• kram
• kyss
• pözz

Etymology 2

Doublet of pussig, pusta, påse, pösa, and pysa. One theory is that it was borrowed from German Pfütze.

Noun

puss c

1. A puddle, a plash.

Declension

Declension of puss

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	puss	puss
	definite	pussen	pussens
plural	indefinite	pussar	pussars
	definite	pussarna	pussarnas

Derived terms

• vattenpuss

Further reading

• puss in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker
• puss in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• sups