-ussy ( /ˈʊsi/ UUS-ee) is an English-language morpheme derived from the word pussy used to create novel derived terms, implying resemblance to a vulva or vagina. Portmanteaus derived from pussy have existed in LGBTQ slang since the early 2000s, in the form bussy (boy pussy), but were popularized in the late 2010s and early 2020s on social media platforms including Tumblr and TikTok. In 2022, the American Dialect Society named -ussy their word of the year.
According to Université de Montréal linguist Michael Dow, portmanteaus derived from pussy first originated within LGBTQ slang for a gay male anus, including the terms mussy (man + pussy) and bussy (boy pussy; a man's anus, implying anal sex) which first appeared on the Internet in 2004. [3] : 4 [note 1] Dow tentatively calls these terms "pussy blends", but distinguishes them from true blends, and instead categorizes -ussy as a fractomorpheme analogous to -holic (from alcoholic) and -gate (from Watergate). [3] : 13
The suffix was popularized by a viral Tumblr post from April 2017 coined the term thrussy (throat + pussy, implying deep-throating). [3] : 4 A month later, an internet meme consisting of computer-generated songs with lyrics such as "Mr. Krabs is one thicc bih, let me see that krussy", leading to further novel forms such as waussy (referencing Wario), babussy (referencing Babadook), and computussy (Karen the Computer). [3] : 4 From June to August 2017, at least 1,338 -ussy blends appeared on Twitter. [3] : 8 Other examples include Thatchussy (Margaret Thatcher + pussy), [3] clussy (clown pussy), [5] grussy (Grinch + pussy), [3] : 6 nussy (nose + pussy), [6] and birdussy (referring to a bird's cloaca). [7]
Use of -ussy as a suffix (sometimes called -ussification) was popularized on TikTok beginning in late 2021. [2] The suffix has been used in reference to a physical hole (e.g., a donutussy) [2] : 1 as well as to emphasize effort (e.g., a barista may "put their whole baristaussy" into creating the perfect latte art). [2]
The suffix was named the word of the year for 2022 by the American Dialect Society, with its president Ben Zimmer stating the selection "highlights how creativity in new word formation has been embraced online in venues like TikTok." [8]
A 2024 Dune: Part Two movie promotional popcorn bucket covered with a sandworm mouth was called a Duneussy by a magazine editor and gained Internet fame for resembling a Fleshlight. [9] [10] The 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine satirized the "Duneussy" popcorn bucket with their own bucket dubbed the Wolvussy, featuring the character Wolverine's open mouth as the bucket lid. [11] [12]
Riffing off 'bussy' (a portmanteau of 'boy' and 'pussy'), now everything is a cat or a cavity. A calzone is a pizzussy.