What Does the Word “Sissy” Mean and Where Did the Term “Priss” For Effeminate Men Come From?

Since 1887, when a male is unwilling or fails to meet the challenges of being a robust young man, he has sometimes been called a sissy.

The word sis is an abbreviation of sister.

The term sissy was often used as an endearment for a female sibling.

On the other hand, priss is a 1895 merger of the words precise or prim and sis.