Re: Re[2]: [tied] root *pVs- for cat

Good, but puss also means "face" in English
and of course "vulva", which is shared by Spanish
mico, but this is a secondary meaning
Is the meaning "face", as in "sourpuss", somehow from
the animal or is a homonym?


--- "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:

> At 8:03:19 PM on Saturday, June 30, 2007,
> alexandru_mg3
> wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > 3. Where are Germanic counterparts of English
> puss?
>
> OED: A word common to several Teutonic langs.,
> usually as a
> call-name for the cat (rarely becoming as in Eng. a
> synonym
> of 'cat'): cf. Du. <poes>, LG. <puus>, <puus-katte>,
> <puus-man>, Sw. dial. <pus>, <katte-pus>, Norw.
> <puse>,
> <puus>; also, Lith. <puz>, <puiz>, Ir. and Gael.
> <pus>.
> Etymology unknown: perh. originally merely a call to
> attract
> a cat.
>
> SAOB gives <puss> as the Swedish dialect form,
> suggesting
> that it's probably onomatopoetic.
>
> Brian
>
>
>

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