cissy

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

masculine

85 3.7

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

manly

79 3.0

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

Compounds

bit cissy

Slur

9.9

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

How Unmanly

cissy

Slur

9.9

sissy

Slur

59 8.2

effeminate

Offensive

15 7.5

unmanly

4 6.8

manly

79 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.