Where does “pussyfooter” come from?
pussyfooter (English) comes from English pussyfoot, from English pussy, from English pursy, from Middle English pursyf, from Anglo-Norman porsif, from French poussif, from French pousser, from Latin pulsare — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
pussyfooter (English): One who pussyfoots
Definitions
- One who pussyfoots
Ancestry of “pussyfooter”, step by step
pussyfooter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pussyfoot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pussyfoot | To move silently, stealthily, or furtively; To... |
| 2 | English | pussy | A cat; An affectionate term for a woman or girl,... |
| 3 | English | pursy | Out of breath; short of breath, especially due to... |
| 4 | Middle English | pursyf | asthmatic, pursy |
| 5 | Anglo-Norman | porsif | — |
| 6 | French | poussif | wheezy |
| 7 | French | pousser | to push; to urge on, encourage; to grow |
| 8 | Latin | pulsare | present active infinitive of pulsō; second-person... |
| 9 | Latin | pulso | I push, strike, beat, batter, hammer; knock on;... |
| 10 | Latin | pulsus | pulse, impulse, beat, stroke; expelled, kicked... |
| 11 | Latin | pellō | to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel; expel, banish, eject, thrust out |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | pelnō | approach, go to; bring close |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via English ER
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ER | The statistic "Earned Run"; Initialism of... |
| 2 | Turkish | er | early; brave; man, male |
| 3 | Ottoman Turkish | ایر | saddle, a seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal |
| 4 | Old Anatolian Turkish | ایر | early, at a time in advance of the usual or expected event |
| 5 | Proto-Turkic | ēder | saddle |