pussy
pussy Lexical Profile
pussy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The female external genitalia or vulva (vulgar slang).
"The comedian's routine included explicit anatomical slang like pussy that drew gasps from the audience."
A weak, timid, or cowardly person (derogatory slang).
"The older boys taunted him, calling him a pussy when he refused to jump off the high diving board."
An informal or children's term for a domestic cat (Felis catus), a small carnivorous mammal kept as a household pet.
"The little girl gently stroked the sleeping pussy curled up on the rug."
• adjective
Containing, resembling, or discharging pus; purulent (pronounced /ˈpʌsi/).
"The nurse cleaned the pussy wound and applied a sterile antibiotic dressing."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'pussy' (/ˈpʊsi/) is a traditional children's word for a cat, it is now predominantly encountered in vulgar slang; meanwhile, the homograph 'pussy' (/ˈpʌsi/), meaning full of pus, is normally avoided in modern clinical speech in favor of 'purulent' to prevent ambiguity.
• Rhymes for pussy
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun meaning 'cat' is a diminutive of 'puss', a Germanic root of imitative origin used to call cats since the 16th century. The medical adjective meaning 'full of pus' derives independently from Latin 'pus' (matter from a sore) combined with the English suffix '-y'.