"despite what you may have heard, pusillanimous does not serve as the basis for pussyfoot, pussycat, or a certain related vulgarism." - Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Social media is a misinformation engine
this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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Social media yes absolutely is, but so is the Internet in general. There's always been conspiracy and other whacko websites. Social media just brings the misinformation to you, instead of previously, you had to seek out that kind of content.
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(2 replies)
That word existing isn't proof of that.
Also, ask a random selection of people who call other pussies what they mean by it. I can guarantee you that the mayority is referring to the body part. Which makes this stupid.
I never thought of the body part when calling someone a pussy. Anecdotal, but still.
I was always thought about it was cats because they're scared and shit. But holy fuck, never fuck with a cat that hates your guts and wants nothing to do with you.
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(6 replies)
You think when people call someone a "pussy" as a pejorative they are calling them a vagina? Like literally? That's ludicrous.
Almost like calling someone a dick.
Curses and insults often include sexual characteristics and actions. And also bodily fluids, animals, diseases and blasphemy
But like, when calling someone a dick, you think of a penis?
Arguably they are a scaredy cat
Not literally, figuratively.
I generally mean it as someone scared to go the fucking speed limit in the left lane.
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(4 replies)
"pussy" as in coward and "pussy" as in vagina are both references to cats. pussycats. we call cowards pussies because cats scare easily. we call vaginas pussies because they are soft and delicate (not actually, but that's how we want to treat them)
this doesn't have to be a misogyny thing, and anti-misogyny thing, or an anti-anti-misogyny thing. everyone just fucking chill out about this word, ffs
Etymologically, it seems like there are theories surrounding where it comes from.
The ones I'm familiar with are 'poesje', a Dutch word meaning 'little cat'. The other is the Old English word 'pus' meaning 'pocket'.
I'm far more inclined to believe 'poesje' is the origin, with 'pus' being an incorrect association due to common modern usage of the word 'pussy' in place of 'vagina'.
Idk who convinced this guy that it's short for pusillanimous. Sounds like someone trolled the fuck out of him. Anyone with a strong understanding of English (and language, really - what I'm about to say is just human nature) understands that languages follow the path of least resistance. It, logically, does not make sense that pusillanimous (a word totally unused in the average English speakers vernacular) would be where pussy comes from. Unless your inner idea of English speakers 3 centuries ago is some fucked up Shakespeare-an parody.
You're probably right about pussy (vagina) originally meaning pocket but I don't think it does anymore. People now euphemistically refer to vaginas as a "kitty" or sometimes they even use a cat emoji.
People believing that pussy (coward) is a reference to vaginas AND people who think it's short for pusillanimous are people who let their politics color their perception of the world. Men who hate women, women who hate men, and men who hate that women hate men. It's conspiratorial thinking all around.
The etymology is not relevant.
When I called someone a pussy, I did not mean cat. I did not mean pusillanimous. I meant vagina.
My usage of "pussy" as an insult came from misogyny, so I don't use it as an insult anymore.
I could have easily said that I actually meant something else, but I choose to own my mistakes and try to be better.
good job bud! you get a gold star for respecting women ⭐
jokes aside live your life but I still say it. I'm not gonna stop saying it. If someone accused me of misogyny for it I'd laugh in their face and call them something a lot worse.
And you think that makes you cool? You think you're a tough guy because you don't care if you're hurting someone else?
Nobody can force you to care about other people. I hope that some day you decide to for yourself.
I have no concern with being cool or uncool because the only opinion that has bearing on my self worth is my own. Anyway, I'd laugh because being offended by the word is just... baseless? People can be offended by anything, reasonable or not, and it's each individuals responsibility to cope with that. It's not like I'm dropping N bombs or calling them a removed. I'm comparing them to a fucking cat. Cowardice is an unacceptable trait in adults and tolerating it does far more harm to the coward in question than calling them out on it does.
Christ. You are going to need to be surgically detached if you ever decide to get off your high horse. I get that you used to be misogynistic or an asshole or something, so now you're extra sensitive about it, projecting maybe, whatever. This is another one of those things where it's YOUR responsibility to cope with it, not mine.
I say what I mean and I get my point across. Do I actively want to offend people? No, of course not. But it's not nearly at the top of my list of concerns. If it hurts someone's feelings, they are free to talk to me about it. If they make sense, I'll adjust my behavior and apologize. Something along the lines of "when I was a piece of shit I used that word in a piece of shit way" does not sway me. I'm not you bro. I'm not malicious. I'm a straight-talker, and people value that.
If you care about being a straight talker, then call someone a coward. You are not getting your point across well by using "pussy" and meaning "cat, because cats are cowardly".
Language is an imperfect way of communicating thoughts, and works by mutual understanding on which words are used for which thoughts. The usage is subtle and constantly changing.
Misogynists use "pussy" in a hurtful way, and so there's a mutual understanding that someone who says "pussy" might be a misogynist.
Most people don't want to be confused for being a misogynist, so someone might assume that you're unaware and tell you that you sound misogynistic. If you "laugh in their face and call them something much worse," that's fucked up.
You're still free to use it, sure, but don't pretend that it's effective communication. You're making a conscious choice that you care more about using a specific word than about communicating your thoughts.
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(6 replies)
I've always meant coward, don't even know where vagina would come from in such an instance
The Latin roots of this derisive adjective are pusillus, meaning "very small" (and related to pusus, meaning "boy") and animus, which means "spirit"
... so a fuckboi, but even more cowardly.
Only some kinda sissy would post something like this
I heard that's from sisyphean, keep pushing that boulder, sissies!
This is a nice one
Pip pip!
Except that if you actually check the etymology of both words, you would find that one does not derive from the other.
This guy seems like a vagina.
Then it would sound like "pyoosy", look at the phonetics. I've never used that pronunciation. Have I been saying it wrong all this time?
TIL
Stop being unsure of yourself pyoosy
There's words that do that. Rare, yeah, but sometimes.
Pffffff idiot. Everyone knows the slang is "pusy".
Pusi
Then say "poo-zee" and write "puzy"
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