Pussy

[1] Because of its multiple senses including both innocent and vulgar connotations, pussy is often the subject of double entendre.

Earlier etymology is uncertain, but similar words exist in other European languages, including Lithuanian puižė and Irish puisín, both traditional calls to attract a cat.

[5] The words puss and derived forms pussy and pusscat were extended to refer to girls or women by the seventeenth century.

[2] Webster's Third International Dictionary suggests that pussy in the sense of "vulva" may be connected to Old Norse pūss and Old English pusa, meaning 'pocket' or 'purse'.

It is attested in Old French from the ninth century, and likely derives from Latin puella 'girl' or pulla 'pullet, young female chicken'.

[4] Pussy is also a variant spelling of pursy or pursive, obsolete words for 'fat, pot-bellied, short of breath, broken-winded, asthmatic (of a horse)'.

Another example, not cited by the OED, is one of the main characters of E. Nesbit's Five Children and It - Jane, nicknamed Pussy by her siblings.

This word, first attested in the late nineteenth century, is related to both the "cat" and the "woman" meanings of pussy.

[13] There are women seeking to reclaim the word[14] to symbolise sexual pleasure,[15] power,[16] and trust in their bodies (e.g. around childbirth).

[17] Donald Trump's use of the word to describe celebrity interactions with women ("grab them by the pussy", known as the Access Hollywood tape) provoked strong reactions by media figures and politicians across the political spectrum; an image of a snarling cat with the slogan "pussy grabs back" became a "rallying cry for female rage against Trump".

[18] Pink "pussyhats" (knitted caps with cat-like ears) were a notable feature of the worldwide protests held the day after Trump's inauguration as President of the United States.

Examples include German Muschi (literally "house cat"),[23] French chatte ("female cat", also used to refer to sexual intercourse),[24] Dutch poes ("puss"),[5] Portuguese rata (literally "female rat"),[25] and Norwegian mus ("mouse"),[26] which are also animal terms used as vulgar slang for women's genitals.

[36] In 2017 Planned Parenthood released a series of short videos on YouTube about female sexual health, with the overall title "How to take care of your pussy".

Refinery29 called it "a pretty genius metaphor"[37] and Metro said: "If there are two things left in this world that are inherently wonderful, it's cats and vaginas.