cuss
/kʌs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.83 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "I went over the fence like a shot, and ran like one o'clock for the trap, cussing and swearing as I went."
- "He's an abrupt-sounding cuss, but good-hearted too."
- "Biggest rascal [...] and the most likable cuss I've run up against in a year."
- "Polybius was a determined cuss and he kept at the fruit cart until he saved enough to start a regular fruit store."
- "In fact, I'd like to recommend that every village and town go out of its way to make sure it still has an ornery cuss in its midst. [...] Wanted: More Ornery Cusses Prime Fathers"
- ""He's [...] Just an ornery cuss.'""
Etymology
An American English variant of curse; for a similar phonetic development, compare ass (“buttocks”), from arse, in which the r was originally pronounced (as in curse). Etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“fellow, person”) is from the replacement of a derogatory or affectionate curse word like bitch in son of a bitch with the word cuss, after etymology 1, noun sense 2 (“curse word”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kʌs/
- British English: /kʌs/
Usage
- American usage
- Colloquial
- Dated