/ˈhʌsi/, /ˈhʌzi/
OriginFrom earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English houswyf (“housewife”), equivalent to house + wife. Modern housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable through regular phonetic change, as well as gradual negative senses and historical factors.
The traditional pronunciation of the word is /ˈhʌzi/; the pronunciation with /s/ is a spelling pronunciation.
- obsoleteA housewife or housekeeper.
“WIRTHIN. Well, I should think so! They just dote on that hussy—can't seem to get enough of her. Gretchen tells me so herself. And the care she takes of them!”
- A sexually immoral woman.
“She called him `pig' in bastard Arabic, and he called her `hussy' in good English, but these amenities were forgotten in the face of the catastrophe that had overwhelmed her at the hands of her Queen.”
- A cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behavior.
“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 ”
- obsoleteA case or bag for needles, thread, etc.
Formshussies(plural) · hussif(alternative) · hussiv(alternative) · huzzy(alternative)