Pussy

The etymology is complicated by the convergence of at least two distinct lineages. The 'cat' sense is attested from the 1580s and is likely derived from Old English pusa ('bag, pouch') or from Low German Puse, with cognates in Dutch poes and Old Norse púss ('pocket, pouch'), all applied affectionately to cats. The anatomical sense, referring to the vulva, is attested from the 17th century and may derive independently from Old Norse púss or from Low German puse ('vulva'), though cross-contamination between the 'cat' and 'genital' senses is considered probable by most etymologists. The 'coward' sense, attested from the early 20th century, is generally understood as derived from the anatomical meaning through the longstanding cultural association of femininity with weakness.

The word's recorded history begins with the feline sense, which was entirely unremarkable in Early Modern English. It was applied as a call-name for cats and as an affectionate term for women and girls with no vulgar connotation. The anatomical sense emerged in bawdy and underground literature of the late 17th century, with D'Urfey's 1699 usage among the earliest clear attestations. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the anatomical meaning was well established in slang dictionaries, including Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), though it was excluded from polite discourse and standard lexicography. The 'coward' sense is recorded from the early 1900s and was widely used in American English by mid-century. The word was notably deployed in the 2005 Access Hollywood recording involving Donald Trump, which reignited public debate over the term's severity. In contemporary usage, the anatomical sense has largely eclipsed the feline one in most registers, rendering the older meaning difficult to use without ambiguity.

The feline sense has never been taboo, though it has been progressively overshadowed by the anatomical meaning to the point of near-unusability in many contexts. The anatomical sense was treated as coarse slang from its earliest attestations and was excluded from broadcast media throughout the 20th century. It remains classified among the stronger sexual vulgarities in FCC broadcast standards. The 'coward' sense carries a secondary charge of sexism, as the insult is predicated on the equation of femininity with weakness. This gendered dimension has been the subject of sustained feminist critique since the 1970s, adding a layer of social taboo beyond the purely sexual.

In British English, the word retains somewhat more of its feline sense, particularly in compounds like 'pussycat' and 'pussywillow,' though the vulgar meaning is equally well known. In American English, the anatomical and 'coward' senses are overwhelmingly dominant. In Australian English, the 'coward' sense is particularly prevalent in masculine-coded speech. The compound 'pussy-whipped' (meaning dominated by a female partner) is attested from the 1950s and is primarily American in origin.