wuss
English
Etymology
Probably a blend of wimp + puss. Compare later wussy. Possibly coined by its use in the popular 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Pronunciation
Noun
wuss (plural wusses)
- (slang) A weak, ineffectual, cowardly, or timid person.
- 1976, Univ. N. Carolina, Chapel Hill, Campus Slang typescript
- Nov. 6 Come on you wuss, hit a basket..! John's a wuss.
- 1982, Cameron Crowe, Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Screenplay)
- Mike Damone: You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy
- 1995, Rob Huizenga, You're Okay, It's Just a Bruise Page 120
- ...if you got a reputation as a wuss around the league, nobody else would ever even trade for you, or pick you up if you got cut.
- 2003, Andrea P. Roberts, Uncovered: 20 Hints for Men from a Bisexual Woman Page 7
- And finally, don't be a wuss. Have a rich-man's attitude. Men who have money are generally confident and assertive.
- 2003, Marc J. Soares, 100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park Page 21
- ...stop, study the map, and wait for the others. It's better to be a wuss than a stud.
- 1976, Univ. N. Carolina, Chapel Hill, Campus Slang typescript
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
weak, ineffectual person
Verb
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- Only used in wuss out
Catawba
Noun
wuss
- Alternative spelling of wus
Scots
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English wus, wose (“juice, sap”), from Old English wōs (“moisture, exuded liquid, juice”), from Proto-Germanic *wōsą (“juice, moisture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“fat, moisture”). Cognate with Danish os (“vine sap”), West Frisian weaze (“slime, mud”), Dutch waas (“marshy land, vapor, mist, film”). More at English ooze.
Noun
wuss (plural wusses)
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- en:People
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- Scots terms inherited from Middle English
- Scots terms derived from Middle English
- Scots terms inherited from Old English
- Scots terms derived from Old English
- Scots terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Scots terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Scots terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Scots lemmas
- Scots nouns