Where does “pussyfootism” come from?
pussyfootism (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.
pussyfootism (English): A tendency to pussyfoot; excessive timidity or caution
Definitions
- A tendency to pussyfoot; excessive timidity or caution
Ancestry of “pussyfootism”, step by step
pussyfootism 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 ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |