wuss

English

Etymology

1976–1981 in US college slang. Perhaps abbreviated from wussy, or blend of wimp and puss. Compare earlier wussy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wʊs/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊs

Noun

wuss (plural wusses)

1. (slang, mildly derogatory) A weak, ineffectual, cowardly, or timid person.
   • 1976, Univ. N. Carolina, Chapel Hill, Campus Slang typescript

     Nov. 6 Come on you wuss, hit a basket..! John's a wuss.

   • 1982, Cameron Crowe, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, spoken by Mike Damone:

     You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy

   • 1995, Rob Huizenga, You're Okay, It's Just a Bruise Page 120

     ...if you got a reputation as a wuss around the league, nobody else would ever even trade for you, or pick you up if you got cut.

   • 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 144:

     `Fatty's under the thumb. Yeah it's not hard to see who wears the pants in that family. The wuss.'

   • 2003, Andrea P. Roberts, Uncovered: 20 Hints for Men from a Bisexual Woman Page 7

     And finally, don't be a wuss. Have a rich-man's attitude. Men who have money are generally confident and assertive.

   • 2003, Marc J. Soares, 100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park Page 21

     ...stop, study the map, and wait for the others. It's better to be a wuss than a stud.

Synonyms

• (weak, ineffectual, cowardly, or timid person): pansy, pushover, weakling, wimp, puss, pussy; see also Thesaurus:milksop or Thesaurus:coward

Derived terms

• wuss out

Translations

weak, ineffectual person

Catalan: covard (ca) m, covarda (ca) f Czech: slaboch m,, měkkota f, padavka f, bábovka (cs) f (informal) Finnish: pelkuri (fi), mammanpoika (fi), nynny (fi), nyhverö (fi) French: chochotte (fr) f, mauviette (fr) f German: Weichei (de) n (colloquial), Feigling (de) m, Schlappschwanz (de) m (colloquial), Waschlappen (de) m (colloquial), Memme (de) f (colloquial), Schwächling (de) m, Lulu (de) n (Austrian) Greek: χέστης (el) m (chéstis), χεζάς (el) m (chezás), χεζού (el) f (chezoú) Italian: femminuccia (it), pappamolle, fifone (it), smidollato (it), vigliacco (it), codardo (it), rammollito (it), mollusco (it), coniglio (it), pollo (it), merlo (it), cacasotto (it), pisciasotto (it), mammoletta, mollaccione, vile (it), debole (it), pauroso (it), eunuco (it) Polish: cienias m, mięczak (pl) m Portuguese: fracote m or f, bundão (pt) m Russian: слаба́к (ru) m (slabák), тря́пка (ru) f (trjápka), ро́хля (ru) m or f (róxlja), размазня́ (ru) m or f (razmaznjá), мя́мля (ru) m or f (mjámlja), тюфя́к (ru) m (tjufják), губошлёп (ru) m (gubošljóp), недотёпа (ru) m or f (nedotjópa) Spanish: calzonazos (es) m, pusilánime (es) c, encogido (es) c, menguado (es) m, achumpipado m Swedish: mes (sv) c

Verb

wuss (third-person singular simple present wusses, present participle wussing, simple past and past participle wussed)

1. Only used in wuss out

Catawba

Noun

wuss

1. alternative spelling of wus

Scots

Alternative forms

• wis, wiss, woss, vouss

Etymology

From Middle English wus, wose (“juice, sap”), from Old English wōs (“moisture, exuded liquid, juice”), from Proto-Germanic *wōsą (“juice, moisture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“fat, moisture”). Cognate with Danish os (“vine sap”), West Frisian weaze (“slime, mud”), Dutch waas (“marshy land, vapor, mist, film”). More at English ooze.

Noun

wuss (plural wusses)

1. juice
2. The liquid obtained from boiling or squeezing fruit or vegetable substances