Where does “puss” come from?
puss (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Old French boce, from Vulgar Latin bottia, from Frankish bottija, from Frankish bōtan, from Proto-Germanic bautaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewd-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
puss (Norwegian Nynorsk): polish, finery
Definitions
- polish, finery
Ancestry of “puss”, step by step
puss traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French boce
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | boce | swelling |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | bottia | bump |
| 3 | Frankish | bottija | — |
| 4 | Frankish | bōtan | to strike, knock down |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |
via Latin pūs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pūs | pus |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | puos | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | púH-os ~ púH-es-os | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | puH- | rotten, foul |
via Norwegian Nynorsk pusse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | pusse | to clean, polish, plaster, render |