cissy

1 9.9

An insulting word for a man or boy seen as weak and too feminine

adjective
/ˈsɪsi/

Slur

: maricón (ofensivo)

After hearing the teasing remarks, he stopped dressing how he liked, fearing he would be labeled as a cissy.

Examples

Some people use the term cissy to insult boys who enjoy activities typically associated with girls.
He refused to play sports because he didn't want to be called a cissy for being less athletic than his friends.
In English pubs, working-class men in a group traditionally all drink their pints of beer (half-pints are cissy) at the same rate.

Blog text (29)

Synonyms

effeminate

vscissy

Offensive

15 7.5

A male who looks or acts like a woman

is an insulting term that treats such traits as overly feminine

Antonyms

manly

95 3.0

Showing strength, courage, or a strong will often seen as men's qualities

masculine

87 3.7

Having qualities people often connect with men, for example strength and toughness

Compounds

bit cissy

Slur

9.9

A little too gentle in style or behavior, often used to tease someone

How Unmanly

cissy

Slur

1 9.9

sissy

Slur

59 8.2

effeminate

Offensive

15 7.5

unmanly

4 6.8

manly

95 3.0

Surface Forms

cissy positive

Morphology

cissy = sis (semi-transparent) = sis + y

Formed from informal 'sis' + the adjectival/diminutive suffix '-y'; the basic idea 'like a sister/girlish' is derivable but the derogatory extension (unmanly/cowardly) requires cultural knowledge.

Etymology

The word cissy comes from the family word sister, shortened to 'sis', plus the ending -y, so it originally meant 'like a sister' or 'like a girl'. That's why cissy became an insult for boys seen as too feminine, and it is offensive today.