A.Word.A.Day --pussophilist

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

Archives

Aug 18, 2025

This week’s theme
A cat-alogue of words

This week’s words
pussophilist

“It’s invasion of privacy! You curl up in an Ugg boot for a nap and within an hour you’re all over the Internet!”

Cartoon: Dan Piraro

Previous week’s theme
Exempli gratia

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

A few months ago I claimed that English has more words for dog lovers than for cat lovers.

I also implied that this somehow reflected on cats. As if cats care how many words for their staff a language has. What was I thinking?

I was wrong.

Meow culpa. I offer a humble apology to all the ailurophiles out there, and more importantly, to their feline friends. Please let us know if your cats accept it or if I need to do more.

I’m considering feeding cream to every neighborhood cat for a year, turning this into a felix culpa.

Meanwhile, to make up for my faux paw, this week I’ll feature three words for cat lovers. Instead of featuring them back-to-back, we’ll mix a few other cat-related words in between.

Where do you land on the scale from pussophilist to pussomaniac? All cats are special, but what’s extra special about yours? Share your stories below or drop us a line at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state).

Include a selfie (or ussie, which entered our lexicon in AWADmail 1206 two weeks ago) with your cat if their majesty permits.

pussophilist

PRONUNCIATION:

(puh-SOF-uh-list)

MEANING:

noun: A cat lover.

ETYMOLOGY:

From puss (cat), of uncertain origin, perhaps imitative of calls to attract cats + Greek -philist (lover). Earliest documented use: 1891.

USAGE:

“Swinburne is a pussophilist, he has a passion for cats. He says he appreciates their nature, and that they understand him; also that he is certain that in some former state of existence he himself was a cat, and that hereafter he will probably return to his cat condition.”
Frederick Locker Lampson; Unpublished Sketches and Poems; Scribner’s Magazine; 1921.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Dreams heed no borders, the eyes need no visas. With eyes shut I walk across the line in time. All the time. -Gulzar, poet, lyricist, and film director (b. 18 Aug 1934)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise