*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hissy

Etymology tree English hiss Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English hissy From hiss + -y.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Accompanied with hisses. · Making a hissing sound. · Childish or petulant.

noun

A tantrum, a fit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English hiss Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English hissy From hiss + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "hiss",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish hiss\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish hissy\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-gaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-g\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"hissy\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"hissy\">\nFrom hiss + -y."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "hiss",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish hiss\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish hissy\nFrom hiss + -y."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hiss",
      "hiss#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-gaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-gaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-g",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-g#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "hiss",
      "hiss#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Accompanied with hisses.",
        "Making a hissing sound.",
        "Childish or petulant."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "15bbbb2080235c2e8408d0c7399ee3715768565fb424550d5140fca91fa2c679",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c3382bddf7c88f9b8893bf4c32d2c6f6d686d69816b6348b0de6f655b900c81e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 465678
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tantrum, a fit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "84352dc94020a1332ce21f74b63f339ebcd0bee3edce652e00b0b08c69a41f07",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0783cf9453b88fac0e996b6eafc33fa23da941b216ad68d62709e51f3b5d21e0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 465679
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hissy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aGlzc3k