I have to say that I have no fucking clue what got me thinking about this to begin with but here it is nevertheless. Before some wise-ass out there says it, yes this is copy and paste however it did require a great deal of research to finally come up with the source of this report. The question here is: Which word\terminology came first, pussy or cunt? The answer may surprise you.
This is a link to all abbreviations used here: Etyomology Abbreviations
cunt "female intercrural foramen," or, as some 18c. writers refer to it, "the monosyllable," M.E. cunte "female genitalia," akin to O.N. kunta, from P.Gmc. *kunton, of uncertain origin. Some suggest a link with L. cuneus "wedge," others to PIE base *geu- "hollow place," still others to PIE *gwen-, root of queen and Gk. gyne "woman." The form is similar to L. cunnus "female pudenda," which is likewise of disputed origin, perhaps lit. "gash, slit," from PIE *sker- "to cut," or lit. "sheath," from PIE *kut-no-, from base *(s)keu- "to conceal, hide." First known reference in Eng. is said to be c.1230 Oxford or London street name Gropecuntlane, presumably a haunt of prostitutes. Avoided in public speech since 15c.; considered obscene since 17c. Du. cognate de kont means "a bottom, an arse." Du. also has attractive poetic slang ways of expressing this part, such as liefdesgrot, lit. "cave of love," and vleesroos "rose of flesh." Alternate form cunny is attested from c.1720 but is certainly much earlier and forced a change in the pronunciation of coney (q.v.), but it was good for a pun while coney was still the common word for "rabbit": "A pox upon your Christian cockatrices! They cry, like poulterers' wives, 'No money, no coney.' " [Massinger, 1622]
pussy (2) slang for "cunt," 1879, but probably older; perhaps from O.N. puss "pocket, pouch" (cf. Low Ger. puse "vulva"), but perhaps instead from the cat word (see pussy (1)) on notion of "soft, warm, furry thing;" cf. Fr. le chat, which also has a double meaning, feline and genital. Earlier uses are difficult to distinguish from pussy (1), e.g.: "The word pussie is now used of a woman" [Philip Stubbes, "The Anatomie of Abuses," 1583] But the use of pussy as a term of endearment argues against the vaginal sense being generally known before late 19c., e.g.: " 'What do you think, pussy?' said her father to Eva." [Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1852] Pussy-whipped first attested 1956.
pussy (1)"cat," 1726, dim. of puss (1), also used of a rabbit (1715). As a term of endearment for a girl or woman, from 1583 (also used of effeminate men). Pussy willow is from 1869, on notion of "soft and furry;" pussyfoot (v.) is from 1903, originally the nickname of stealthy Oklahoma prohibition agent W.E. Johnson (1862-1945).
And just for your edification, a few related terms.
wuss 1982, from wussy (1960s), probably an alteration of pussy (2). Mike Damone: You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy ["Fast Times at Ridgemont High" script, 1982]
cunnilingus 1887, from Mod.L. cunnus "vulva" (see cunt) + lingere "to lick" (see lick (v.)). The L. properly would mean "one who licks a vulva," but it is used in Eng. in reference to the action, not the actor. The verb ought to be cunnilingue. "Cunnilingus was a very familiar manifestation in classical times; ... it tends to be especially prevalent at all periods of high civilization." [Havelock Ellis, 1905]
From: The Online Etymology Dictionary
This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago. The dates beside a word indicate the earliest year for which there is a surviving written record of that word (in English, unless otherwise indicated). This should be taken as approximate, especially before about 1700, since a word may have been used in conversation for hundreds of years before it turns up in a manuscript that has had the good fortune to survive the centuries.
The basic sources of this work are Weekley's "An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English," Klein's "A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language," "Oxford English Dictionary" (second edition), "Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology," Holthauzen's "Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Englischen Sprache," Ayto's "20th Century Words," and Chapman's "Dictionary of American Slang."
I hope that somebody out there found this not only interesting but educational as well.
Peace,
Don
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