[Lexicog] Origin and synonyms of "wimp"

[Fritz Goerling]

A man with effeminate, unmanly characteristics that are opposed to the usual
stereotypical macho male behaviour
would be a "Tunte" in German. That term is very derogatory. There is a
social game among men in Germany
nowadays, where men "insult"/tease one another as "wimps" by all kinds of
terms (over 2000 already and new ones are
coined every day). Among the top ones is "Frauenversteher" = a man who
understands women. Is there a good
translation of that one into English?

Fritz Goerling

Don't know about the etymology of wimp, but an American English synonym is
' wuss.' That one's origins seem clear: 'pussy' (derogatory, feminine
acting male) => puss => wuss.  Some would say that using the word 'wuss'
marks one as a 'wuss,' reluctant to use the less PC original term.

Jim Long

At 12:18 AM 6/25/2005 +0200, you wrote:
>Where does "wimp" come from?
>What are some of its  "synonyms" in English (American, British, or other
>variants of English)?
>
>Fritz Goerling
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