Etymologically
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sissy

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is formed from English sis + -y,[2][3][4][5][6][7] a pet form of sister in which sis is a short form of that word.[8][9][10] The OED suggests that the adjective was perhaps also influenced by the adjective-forming -y.[2] Klein and the Shorter Oxford compare prissy.[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

One's sister, often as a term of endearment: 1757, in David Garrick's Lilliput.[2] Etymonline dates this sense to 1768, and Merriam-Webster and Barnhart to 1846.[10][3][8]

Semantic evolution

A pet name for a sister since the 18th century,[9][2] the word came to be used in the United States in the late 19th century for an effeminate or cowardly boy or man.[9][8][2] Green's Dictionary of Slang finds this sense in 1877, and in 1879 the boys of Concord called the young Julian Hawthorne, who wore long curls, Sissy;[11] the OED's first record is from 1879,[2] Etymonline's from 1873, and Barnhart's from 1887.[10][8] The adjective followed: 1879 in the OED, 1882 in Green, and 1891 in Barnhart and Etymonline.[2][11][8][10] Sissyish is recorded from 1880 and sissified from 1905.[10][8] A sissy bar, the metal loop behind the seat of a bicycle or motorcycle, is named from 1969.[10][5] Merriam-Webster also records a weaker sense, a timid or cowardly person.[3]

Timeline

  • 1757 – a sister, often as a pet name.[2]
  • 1877 – an effeminate or weak boy or man.[11][2]
  • 1879 – adjective, effeminate or unmanly.[2][11]
  • 1880 – sissyish.[10]
  • 1905 – sissified.[8]
  • 1969 – sissy bar.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (disparaging) A boy or man thought to lack manliness; an effeminate person.[12][3][2]
  2. A timid or cowardly person: Don't be a sissy, the water isn't cold.[3][12][5]
  3. A sister, especially as a pet name.[3][2][5]

Adjective

  1. (disparaging) Effeminate or cowardly; thought suitable only for a sissy.[12][3][2]

Word family

  • sissiness
  • sissyish
  • sissified
  • sis
  • sister

Usage notes

The word is also spelled cissy, especially in British use.[12][5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  9. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  12. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins