Editing Pussy

{{Short description|Term with multiple meanings}}
{{About|the word}}
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[[File:Monstruo - Weimar Meneses (7253622860).jpg|thumb|alt=a long-haired kitten|The word ''pussy'' historically refers to cats.]]
'''''Pussy''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ʊ|s|i}}) is an [[English language|English]] noun, adjective, and—in rare instances—verb. It has several meanings, as [[slang]], as [[euphemism]], and as [[vulgarity]]. Most commonly, it is used as a noun with the meaning "[[cat]]", or "[[cowardice|coward]]" or "[[weakness|weakling]]". In slang, it can mean "[[vulva]]," "[[vagina]]", or by [[synecdoche]], "[[sexual intercourse]] with a woman".<ref name="OED 12">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007|title=pussy, ''n''. and ''adj''.<sup>2</sup>|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford|edition=third}}</ref> Because of its multiple senses including both innocent and vulgar [[connotation]]s, ''pussy'' is often the subject of [[double entendre]]. The [[etymology]] of the word is not clear. Several different senses of the word have different histories or origins.<ref name="OED 1">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title =pussy, ''n''. and ''adj''.<sup>2</sup> |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=third |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford}}</ref><ref name="OED 2">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title =pussy, ''adj''.<sup>1</sup> |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=third |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref><ref name="OED 3">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title =pussy, ''adj''.<sup>3</sup> |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=third |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref> The earliest records of ''pussy'' are in the 19th century, meaning something fluffy.

==Etymology==
The noun ''pussy'' meaning "cat" comes from the [[Modern English]] word ''puss'', a conventional name or term of address for a cat.<ref name="OED puss">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title =puss, ''n''.<sup>1</sup> |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=third |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref> [[Cognate]]s are common to several [[Germanic language]]s, including [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''poes'' and [[Middle Low German]] ''pūse'', which are also used to call a cat. The word ''puss'' is attested in English as early as 1533. Earlier etymology is uncertain, but similar words exist in other European languages, including [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''puižė'' and [[Irish language|Irish]] ''puisín'', both traditional calls to attract a cat.<ref name="OED puss"/>

The words ''puss'' and derived forms ''pussy'' and ''pusscat'' were extended to refer to girls or women by the seventeenth century.<ref name="OED 1" /><ref name="OED puss"/> This sense of ''pussy'' was used to refer specifically to genitalia by the eighteenth century, and from there further extended to refer to sexual intercourse involving a woman by the twentieth century.<ref name="OED 1" /> ''[[Webster's Third New International Dictionary|Webster's Third International Dictionary]]'' suggests that ''pussy'' in the sense of "vulva" may be connected to [[Old Norse]] ''pūss'' and [[Old English]] ''pusa'', meaning 'pocket' or 'purse'.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gove |first=Phillip |title=Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged |publisher=G. & C. Merriam |year=1961 |isbn=978-0-8777-9302-1 |location=Springfield, MA}}</ref>

Meanings of the verb relate to the common noun senses, including "to act like a cat", "to act like a coward", or "to have sex with a woman".<ref name="OED verb">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=pussy, ''v''. |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |edition=third}}</ref> Adjective meanings are likewise related to the noun.<!-- Add modern slang senses: man (especially prisoner) used unwillingly for another man's sexual gratification; submissive subordinate or underling. --> 

=== Similar words ===
The [[Middle French|medieval French]] word ''pucelle'' {{Gloss|maiden, virgin}} is not related to the English word. It is attested in Old French from the ninth century, and likely derives from [[Latin]] ''puella'' {{Gloss|girl}} or ''pulla'' {{Gloss|pullet, young female chicken}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=pucelle, ''n''. |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |edition=third}}</ref>

The [[homograph]] ''pussy,'' pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ʌ|s|i}}, means "containing [[pus]]".<ref name="OED 3" /> 

''Pussy'' is also a variant spelling of ''pursy'' or ''pursive'', obsolete words for 'fat, pot-bellied, short of breath, broken-winded, asthmatic (of a horse)'.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/pussy_adj1 |title=Oxford English Dictionary |year=2007 |at=s.v. 'pussy' adjective<sup>1</sup>}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Webster |first1=Noah |title=Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language |last2=Porter |first2=Noah |publisher=G. & C. Merriam |year=1913 |location=Springfield, MA |pages=1166–1167 |oclc=504785161}}</ref>

==Uses==

===Cat and similar===
[[File:Cat and rabbit cuddling.jpg|thumb|alt=a long-haired kitten|The word ''pussy'' refers to cats as well as other animals, including rabbits and hares.]]
[[File:Salix caprea 02.jpg|thumb|right|Male [[catkin]]s from a [[Salix caprea|pussy willow]]]]
Both in English and in [[German language|German]] ''puss'' was used as a "call-name" for cats, but in English ''pussy'' was used as a synonym for the word ''cat'' in other uses as well. In addition to cats, the word was also used for [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s. In the 19th century,  the meaning was extended to anything soft and furry. ''[[Pussy willow]]'', for example, is a name applied to various species in the genus ''[[Salix]]'' with furry [[catkin]]s. In [[thieves' cant]] the word ''pussy'' means a "fur coat".<ref name="OED 1" />

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' gives as the first meaning of the noun: "Chiefly colloq[uial]. A girl or woman exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat, esp[ecially] sweetness or amiability. Freq[uently] used as a pet name or as a term of endearment." The examples it cites from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries are not sexual. Another example, not cited by the OED, is one of the main characters of [[E. Nesbit]]'s ''[[Five Children and It]]'' - Jane, nicknamed Pussy by her siblings.

The verb ''pussyfoot'', meaning to walk softly or to speak in an evasive or cautious manner, may come from the adjective ''pussy-footed'' "having a cat-like foot", or directly from the noun ''pussyfoot''. This word, first attested in the late nineteenth century, is related to both the "cat" and the "woman" meanings of ''pussy''.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title =pussyfoot, ''v''. |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=third |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref>

===Female genitalia===

In contemporary English, use of the word ''pussy'' to refer to women is considered derogatory and demeaning, treating women as sexual objects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=James |first=Deborah |title=Gender-linked derogatory terms and their use by women and men |journal=American Speech |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=399–420 |year=1998 |doi=10.2307/455584|jstor=455584 }}</ref> As a reference to genitals or to sexual intercourse, the word is considered vulgar slang. Studies find the word is used more commonly in conversations among men than in groups of women or mixed-gender groups, though subjects report using ''pussy'' more often than other slang terms for female genitals.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Simkins |first1=Lawrence |last2=Rinck |first2=Christine |title=Male and female sexual vocabulary in different interpersonal contexts |journal=Journal of Sex Research |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=160–172 |year=1982 |doi=10.1080/00224498209551146}}</ref> There are women seeking to [[Reappropriation|reclaim the word]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thomashauer|first1=Regena|title=Pussy: A Reclamation|isbn=9781781806364|date=2016-09-20|publisher=Hay House }}</ref> to symbolise sexual pleasure,<ref>{{cite news|title=Come to Mama|url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/sex/features/4987/|access-date=23 April 2018|work=New York Magazine|quote=Mama Gena explains that using the word vagina is not unlike calling your penis your prostate. "When women use the word pussy, it sets them free. They flush, they get all crazy. They feel all wild. It snaps a woman into her sassiness."}}</ref> power,<ref>{{cite news|title=The young women on a mission to reclaim the word 'pussy'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/12cb632f-ba6a-4914-a4cb-1334dcb08869|access-date=23 April 2018|work=BBC Three|date=8 March 2016|quote="It has a kind of a universally pleasing and funny tonality. Plus, 'pussy' is a euphemism which mirrors the visually euphemistic images that we choose. We all know the internet was invented for cats."}}</ref> and trust in their bodies (e.g. around [[childbirth]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Burfoot|first1=Annette|title=Midwifery: An Appropriate(d) Symbol of Women's Reproductive Rights?|journal=Issues in Reproductive and Genetic Engineering|date=1991|volume=4|issue=2|pages=119–127|url=http://www.finrrage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Midwifery_an_Appropriated_Symbol_of_Womens_Reproduvtive_Rights.pdf|access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Womens-March-MadisonWI-Jan212017-02.jpg|thumb|left|Woman wearing a "[[pussyhat]]"]]
American President [[Donald Trump]]'s use of the word to describe celebrity interactions with women ("grab them by the pussy", known as the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape|''Access Hollywood'' tape]]) provoked strong reactions by media figures and politicians across the political spectrum; an image of a snarling cat with the slogan "pussy grabs back" became a "rallying cry for female rage against Trump".<ref>Puglise, Nicole. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/10/donald-trump-pussy-grabs-back-meme-women-twitter 'Pussy grabs back' becomes rallying cry for female rage against Trump], ''The Guardian'' (October 10, 2016).</ref> Pink "[[pussyhat]]s" (knitted caps with cat-like ears) were a notable feature of [[2017 Women's March|the worldwide protests]] held the day after Trump's first inauguration as President of the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kurtzleben|first1=Danielle|title=With 'Pussyhats,' Liberals Get Their Own Version Of The Red Trucker Hat|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/01/21/510997192/with-pussyhats-liberals-get-their-own-version-of-the-red-trucker-hat|access-date=January 22, 2017|work=NPR.org|date=January 21, 2017}}</ref> The name attempts to reclaim the derogatory term<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pink-pussyhats-will-be-making-statement-womens-march-washington-1601088 |title=Pink 'pussyhats' will be making statement at the Women's March on Washington |last=Keating |first=Fiona |date=January 14, 2017 |newspaper=International Business Times UK |access-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115165657/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pink-pussyhats-will-be-making-statement-womens-march-washington-1601088 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38666373 "'Pussyhat' knitters join long tradition of crafty activism"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121141233/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38666373 |date=January 21, 2017 }} BBC News. January 19, 2017.</ref> and is never used as an anatomical representation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/nation-now/pink-pussyhats-why-some-activists-are-ditching-them/465-b918e04a-fc6e-40bc-8721-23add4a24b8c|title=Pink pussyhats: Why some activists are ditching them|publisher=Detroit Free Press|work=KSDK.com|last=Jordan Shamus|first=Kristen|date=January 10, 2018|access-date=July 26, 2018|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806122755/https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/nation-now/pink-pussyhats-why-some-activists-are-ditching-them/465-b918e04a-fc6e-40bc-8721-23add4a24b8c|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Words referring to cats are used as vulgar slang for female genitals in some other European languages as well. Examples include German ''Muschi'' (literally "house cat"),<ref>{{cite book |editor1=O. Thyen |editor2=M. Clark |editor3=W. Scholze-Stubenrecht |editor4=J.B. Sykes |title=The Oxford-Duden German Dictionary |year=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-860248-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddudengerma00thye }}</ref> French ''chatte'' ("female cat", also used to refer to sexual intercourse),<ref name="Robert">{{cite book|last=Rey|first=Alain|title=Le Nouveau Petit Robert Dictionnaire De La Langue Francais|year=2000|isbn=978-2-85036-668-0|language=fr}}</ref> Dutch ''poes'' ("puss"),<ref name="OED puss" /> Portuguese ''rata'' (literally "female rat"),<ref>{{cite book|last=Allen|first=Maria F.|title=The Routledge Portuguese Bilingual Dictionary|year=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-99725-9}}</ref> and Norwegian ''mus'' ("mouse"),<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirkeby |first=Willy |year=1989 |title=English–Norwegian Dictionary |location=Bergen |publisher=Norwegian University Press |isbn=978-8200182931}}</ref> which are also animal terms used as vulgar slang for women's genitals.

===Weakness===
{{see also|Gender role}}
The word ''pussy'' is also used in a derogatory sense to mean cowardly, weak, or easily fatigued. The ''Collins Dictionary'' says: {{nowrap|"(}}taboo, slang, mainly US) an ineffectual or timid person."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pussies|title=Pussies definition and meaning &#124; Collins English Dictionary|website=www.collinsdictionary.com}}</ref> It may refer to a male who is not considered sufficiently masculine, as in: "The coach calls us pussies."<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jim McKay|author2=Michael A. Messner|author3=Donald Sabo|title=Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Osehn3at7GoC&pg=PA39|year=2000|publisher=SAGE |page=39|isbn=9780761912729}}</ref>

Men who are dominated by women (particularly by their partners or spouses and at one time referred to as "hen-pecked"; see [[pecking order]]) can be referred to as ''pussy-whipped'' (or simply ''whipped'' in slightly more polite society or media).<ref>{{Citation |last1=Ayto |first1=John|title=pussy-whip |date=2010-01-01 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199543700.001.0001/acref-9780199543700-e-3863 |work=The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang |editor-last=Ayto |editor-first=John |access-date=2024-01-03 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199543700.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-954370-0 |last2=Simpson |first2=John|editor2-last=Simpson |editor2-first=John}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author-link=Collins English Dictionary |title=Definition of 'pussy-whipped' in American English |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pussy-whipped |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=Collins Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-26 |title=Definition of WHIP |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whip |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en |quote=What does whipped mean in slang use? In slang use, if someone in a romantic relationship is whipped, they let their romantic partner have a great deal of control over what they do, where they go, etc.}}</ref> This may be used simply to denigrate a man who is contented in a relationship. The hyphenated phrase is parsed as "whipped by pussy", a manipulative relationship dynamic wherein a female deliberately or subconsciously withholds sexual intercourse to coerce the male into surrendering power in other aspects of the relationship.

==Wordplay between meanings==
[[File:BarrisonPussy.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The [[Barrison Sisters]] lift their dresses to show a live kitten, a ''double entendre'' of "pussy".]]
Pussy is one of a large number of English words that has both erotic and non-erotic meanings. Such ''[[double entendre]]s'' have long been used in the creation of sexual humor.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lefcourt |first1=Herbert |last2=Sordoni |first2=Carl |last3=Sordoni |first3=Carol |title=Locus of control and the expression of humor |journal=Journal of Personality |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=130–143 |year=1974 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-6494.1974.tb00561.x|pmid=4814115 }}</ref> This double meaning of "pussy" has been used for over a hundred years by performers, including the late-19th-century [[vaudeville]] act the [[Barrison Sisters]], who performed the notorious routine "Do You Want To See My Pussy?" in which they raised their skirts to reveal live kittens.<ref>{{cite book|last=Silverton|first=Peter|title=Filthy English: The How, Why, When And What Of Everyday Swearing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSErq0ssG74C&pg=PT182|year=2011|publisher=Granta Publications|isbn=978-1-84627-452-7|page=182}}</ref>

In the British comedy ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'' the character [[Mrs. Slocombe]] often expressed concern for the welfare of her pussy. The ''double entendre'' made every reference to her cat seem to be a salacious and therefore humorous reference to her vulva.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rosewarne|first=Lauren|title=American Taboo: The Forbidden Words, Unspoken Rules, and Secret Morality of Popular Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XWijAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA82|year=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-39934-3|pages=81–82}}</ref>

In the 2002 film ''[[8 Mile (film)|8 Mile]]'', a [[rap music|rapper]] insults his rivals by including the line, "How can six dicks be pussies?" The line relies on double meanings of both [[Dick (slang)|''dick'']] (either "contemptible person" or "male genitalia") and ''pussy'' ("weak" or "female genitalia"). Such [[word play]] presents a challenge for translators of the film.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Taivalkoski-Shilov |first=Kristiina |title=Subtitling ''8 Mile'' in three languages: Translation problems and translator licence |journal=Target: International Journal of Translation Studies |year=2008 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=248–274 |doi=10.1075/target.20.2.04tai}}</ref>

[[Pussy Riot]] is a Russian [[radical feminist]] [[punk rock]] collective that stages illegal events in Moscow protesting President [[Vladimir Putin]] and the status of [[women in Russia]]n society. Band member "Kot" says that she knows how the word is used in English, and that it is also used in Russian as [[term of endearment]] for little girls. These various meanings create a tension with the word "riot", which the group likes.<ref name="Pussy Riot">{{cite news|last1=Flintoff|first1=Corey|title=In Russia, Punk-Rock Riot Girls Rage Against Putin|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146581790/in-russia-punk-rock-riot-girls-rage-against-putin|newspaper=NPR.org|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=2 November 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Boucher toilette 1742.jpg|thumb|An 18th century painting by [[François Boucher]] depicting a woman with a cat between her legs]]
In 2017 [[Planned Parenthood]] released a series of short videos on YouTube about female [[sexual health]], with the overall title "How to take care of your pussy". Instead of the word "pussy" being shown or spoken, a cat appears instead. The visuals consist mainly of cats, playing on the popularity of [[Cats and the Internet|cat videos]], with a voiceover by [[Sasheer Zamata]]. ''[[Refinery29]]'' called it "a pretty genius metaphor"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brabaw|first1=Kasandra|title=The Difference Between Your Vagina & Vulva — As Told By Cats|url=https://www.refinery29.uk/2017/10/175360/planned-parenthood-vagina-health-cat-videos|website=Refinery 29|access-date=27 March 2018|date=4 October 2017}}</ref> and ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'' said: "If there are two things left in this world that are inherently wonderful, it's cats and vaginas. Don't argue. It's true.[...] It makes sense, then, that Planned Parenthood has decided to combine the two to create a truly splendid video series."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=Ellen|title=Planned Parenthood's new campaign uses cats to teach us all about vaginas|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/05/planned-parenthoods-new-campaign-teaches-us-all-about-the-vagina-and-vulva-with-cats-6978521/|access-date=27 March 2018|work=Metro|date=5 October 2017}}</ref> The series has been shortlisted for a [[Shorty Award]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Taking Care of Your "Pussy" Videos - The Shorty Awards|url=http://shortyawards.com/10th/taking-care-of-your-pussy-videos|access-date=27 March 2018|work=shortyawards.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Cunt]]'', another old vulgarism for the vulva
* ''[[-ussy]]'', a derivative suffix

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|pussy}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,3605,975787,00.html Don't be so beastly!] by Justine Hankins. ''[[The Guardian]]'', June 14, 2003.
* {{cite web |url=http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&word=pussy&resource=Webster%27s&quicksearch=on |title=Pussy |work=Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828) |access-date=2006-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311185502/http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&word=pussy&resource=Webster%27s&quicksearch=on |archive-date=2007-03-11 |url-status=dead }}

{{Sexual slang}}

[[Category:Slang terms for sex organs]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Etymologies]]
[[Category:English profanity]]
[[Category:Vulva]]
[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]]