Puss
/pʊs/noun
A colloquial term for a cat, especially a pet cat.
Did you know?“Puss” is a very old nursery and pet-name form for cats, and its exact origin is uncertain, but it appears alongside related European call-words used to attract or address cats rather than from a single dramatic root.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
puss
“A familiar name for a cat or a cat-like creature.”
Middle English
English
pus
“A call-name or pet-name used for a cat.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*pus-
“An uncertain reconstructed call-word or pet-name for a cat.”
Related European forms
Various
psps / puss / pis
“Cat-calling sounds or pet names used to summon or address cats.”