Where does tussie-mussie come from?

It is traced to Scottish Gaelic.

tussie-mussie

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: tussie--mussie
IPA

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nosegay given by one person to another to convey a message in the language of flowers.

noun

The pudendum muliebre.

Humorous

Example Sentences

"Seruia, Plinio, Sertum è floribus, pastillus è floribus fartus. […] Vn bouquet. A garland of flowers: a nosegay: a tuzziemuzzie: a sweete posie."
"Rosemary for remembrance, sage for long life, and roses for love were three positive messages that might have been passed on through a tussie-mussie."
"We got as thick as we could be, And every night drank strong bohea; Says he, ‘You shall be my son-in-law, And marry the Princess Washy Taw–’ Says I, ‘Your majesty, hold your jaw! I will accept the Princess Paw— With her tuzzy muzzy, hoki poki, hunky nunky, roki boki, pulka wulka, joki koki, All in the Tongo Islands."

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic tùs f (“nice smell, incense”) and debatable second part, a mere reduplication, or mùsg (“musk”) for a moschate flower, or mùisear (“primrose”).

Origin

Source language: Scottish Gaelic

Word Breakdown

Root: tùs

Usage

Humorous

Inflected Forms

tussie-mussies (plural) tussy-mussy (alternative) tuzzy-muzzy (alternative) tuzzie-muzzie (alternative) tuzziemuzzie (alternative) tuzzymuzzy (alternative) tuzzimuzzy (alternative)