Where does “puss” come from?
Puss is an English word derived from Dutch poes, though the ultimate origin and original meaning remain unknown.
puss (English): A cat; A girl or young woman, or any child; A...
Definitions
- A cat; A girl or young woman, or any child; A...
Ancestry of “puss”, step by step
puss traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle High German pūse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | pūse | — |
| 2 | Middle French | pause | pause (brief cessation) |
| 3 | Latin | pausa | a pause, halt, stop, cessation, end |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | παῦσις | stopping, ceasing |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |