hussy

English

Etymology

From earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English huswif (“housewife”), equivalent to house +‎ wife. Modern English housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable through purely regular phonetic change.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌsi/, /ˈhʌzi/
Rhymes: -ʌsi, Rhymes: -ʌzi

Noun

hussy (plural hussies)

(obsolete) A housewife or housekeeper.
A sexually immoral woman.
A cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behavior; a minx.
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175, page 062:
  Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust. Looking back, I recollect she had very beautiful brown eyes.
(obsolete) A case or bag for needles, thread, etc.

Synonyms

(cheeky, disrespectful girl or woman): bitch

Translations

(obsolete) a housewife or housekeeper

Bulgarian: домакиня (bg) f (domakinja)
French: garce (fr) (fam.)

Russian: домохозя́йка (ru) f (domoxozjájka)

A sexually immoral woman

Bulgarian: уличница (bg) f (uličnica)

a cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behaviour

Bulgarian: нахалница (bg) f (nahalnica)
French: pimbêche (fr) f, pécore (fr) f

Kurdish: qehpik‎ f (qehpik)
Russian: дерзкая девчо́нка f (derzkaja devčónka), потаску́шка (ru) f (potaskúška) (slut)

(obsolete) a case or bag for needles, thread, etc

Russian: иго́льник (ru) m (igólʹnik)