priss (n.)

"prissy person, prim girl, effeminate man," 1914, Southern U.S. colloquial, a back-formation from prissy (q.v.).

also from 1914

Entries linking to priss

"too precise, over-particular," 1895, probably Southern U.S. dialect, first attested in Joel Chandler Harris, perhaps an alteration of precise (q.v.), or a merger of prim and sissy [OED]. Related: Prissily; prissiness.

["]Then Mrs Blue Hen rumpled up her feathers and got mad with herself, and went to setting. I reckon that's what you call it. I've heard some call it 'setting' and others 'sitting.' Once, when I was courting, I spoke of a sitting hen, but the young lady said I was too prissy for anything."

"What is prissy?" asked Sweetest Susan.

Mr. Rabbit shut his eyes and scratched his ear. Then he shook his head slowly.

"It's nothing but a girl's word," remarked Mrs. Meadows by way of explanation. "It means that somebody's trying hard to show off."

"I reckon that's so," said Mr. Rabbit, opening his eyes. He appeared to be much relieved.

[Joel Chandler Harris, "Mr. Rabbit at Home"]

Trends of priss

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

plantation

mid-15c., plantacioun, "action of planting (seeds, etc.)," a sense now obsolete, from Latin plantationem (nominative plantatio) "a planting," noun of action from past-participle stem of *plantare "to plant" (see plant (n.)). From c. 1600 as "introduction, establishment." From 158

scrutiny

early 15c., "the formal enumerating of the votes in an election to an office or dignity" (according to OED, "Now chiefly in Canon Law"), from Late Latin scrutinium "a search, inquiry" (in Medieval Latin, "a mode of election by ballot"), from Latin scrutari "to examine, investigat

squander

1580s (squandering, Nashe), "to spend recklessly or prodigiously, use without judgment or economy," of unknown origin; Shakespeare used it in "Merchant of Venice" (1593) with a sense of "to be scattered over a wide area." Related: Squandered; squanderer. Squander-bug, a British s

temerity

"extreme venturesomeness, rashness, recklessness," late 14c., from Latin temeritatem (nominative temeritas) "blind chance, accident; rashness, indiscretion, foolhardiness," from temere "by chance, at random; indiscreetly, rashly, recklessly;" probably, etymologically, "blindly,"

university

c. 1300, "institution of higher learning," also "body of persons constituting a university," from Anglo-French université, Old French universite "universality; academic community" (13c.), from Medieval Latin universitatem (nominative universitas), "the whole, aggregate," in Late

park

mid-13c., "tract of land enclosed as a preserve for beasts of the chase," from Old French parc "enclosed wood or heath land used as a game preserve" (12c.), probably ultimately from West Germanic *parruk "enclosed tract of land" (source also of Old English pearruc, root of paddoc

figure

c. 1200, "numeral;" mid-13c., "visible appearance of a person;" late 14c., "visible and tangible form of anything," from Old French figure "shape, body; form of a word; figure of speech; symbol, allegory" (10c), from Latin figura "a shape, form, figure; quality, kind, style; figu

friend

Old English freond "one attached to another by feelings of personal regard and preference," from Proto-Germanic *frijōjands "lover, friend" (source also of Old Norse frændi, Old Danish frynt, Old Frisian friund, Dutch vriend, Middle High German friunt, German Freund, Gothic frijo

Renaissance

"great period of revival of classical-based art and learning in Europe that began in the fourteenth century," 1840, from French renaissance des lettres, from Old French renaissance, literally "rebirth," usually in a spiritual sense, from renastre "grow anew" (of plants), "be rebo

hegemony

1560s, "preponderance, dominance, leadership," originally of predominance of one city state or another in Greek history; from Greek hēgemonia "leadership, a leading the way, a going first;" also "the authority or sovereignty of one city-state over a number of others," as Athens i

Share priss

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss">Etymology of priss by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of priss. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of priss,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of priss.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of priss.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/priss (accessed $(datetime)).

updated on November 18, 2020

Remove ads >

Dictionary entries near priss

prise

prism

prismatic

prison

prisoner

priss

prissy

pristine

prithee

prittle-prattle

prius