pussy-toes
|puss-y-toes|
🇺🇸
/ˈpʊsiˌtoʊz/
🇬🇧
/ˈpʊsiˌtəʊz/
flowers like a cat's paws
Etymology
'pussy-toes' originates from English as a compound of 'pussy' (a familiar word for a cat) and 'toes' (digits of the foot); formed by likening the plant's small, soft flower clusters to a cat's toes.
'pussy' (a pet name for a cat) is related to earlier 'puss' and likely influenced by Low German/Dutch 'poes'; 'toe' comes from Old English 'tā' (toe). The compound 'pussy-toes' developed in Modern English as a folk name for Antennaria species in the 19th century.
Originally the separate words referred to a cat and a digit; over time the compound came to be used metaphorically for certain plants whose flowers resemble a cat's paw and is now established as a botanical common name.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a common name for low perennial plants of the genus Antennaria (family Asteraceae), which have small clustered flower heads and woolly leaves that resemble a cat's paw.
In the alpine meadow you can find several species of pussy-toes carpeting the ground.
Synonyms
Noun 2
any single plant or flowerhead of a species commonly called pussy-toes (used when referring to an individual specimen).
She picked a single pussy-toes and tucked it behind her ear.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/06 15:28