Talk:wussy
Latest comment: 1 year ago by Equinox in topic Etymology
Etymology[edit]
The wuss page lists that wussy is derived from it... but since both pages lack etymological information, how do we know this? I was looking around and trying to find the origin of this word. I found a couple sources:
- Etmonline: wuss: 1982, from wussy (1960s), probably an alteration of pussy (2). "Mike Damone: You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy. Fast Times at Ridgemont High" script, 1982"
- Wordnik referencing American Heritage Dictionary: "Probably blend of wimp and pussy."
So, unless there's some other data, would it be appropriate to label this as a portmanteau of the mention terms? That 'wuss' is likely a shortened term of wussy which was originally an adjective and also used as a noun, but the 'y' was probably dropped to distinguish the noun use more uniquely? Ty 20:03, 18 June 2010 (UTC)
- OED confirms wuss + -y. Equinox ◑ 22:44, 7 November 2022 (UTC)