Where does “pussyfoot” come from?
pussyfoot (English) comes from English pussy, from English pursy, from Middle English pursyf, from Anglo-Norman porsif, from French poussif, from French pousser, from Latin pulsare, from Latin pulso — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
pussyfoot (English): To move silently, stealthily, or furtively; To...
Definitions
- To move silently, stealthily, or furtively; To...
Ancestry of “pussyfoot”, step by step
pussyfoot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pussy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pussy | A cat; An affectionate term for a woman or girl,... |
| 2 | English | pursy | Out of breath; short of breath, especially due to... |
| 3 | Middle English | pursyf | asthmatic, pursy |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | porsif | — |
| 5 | French | poussif | wheezy |
| 6 | French | pousser | to push; to urge on, encourage; to grow |
| 7 | Latin | pulsare | present active infinitive of pulsō; second-person... |
| 8 | Latin | pulso | I push, strike, beat, batter, hammer; knock on;... |
| 9 | Latin | pulsus | pulse, impulse, beat, stroke; expelled, kicked... |
| 10 | Latin | pellō | to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel; expel, banish, eject, thrust out |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | pelnō | approach, go to; bring close |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via English foot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | foot | A biological structure found in many animals that... |
| 2 | Middle English | fot | foot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of... |
| 3 | Old English | fōt | foot |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fōt | foot |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fōts | foot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pṓds | foot |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | póds | foot |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ped- | to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall |