wuss

Etymology

Probably a blend of wimp +‎ puss. Compare later wussy. Possibly coined by its use in the popular 1982 movie, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wʊs/

Noun

wuss (plural wusses)

1. (slang) A weak, ineffectual, 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 (Screenplay)

     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.

   • 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.

Verb

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

1. Only used in wuss out

Noun

wuss

1. Alternative spelling of wus

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 ooze.

Noun

wuss (plural wusses)

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