I know pussified 'lame, weak, effeminate', whatever the historical connection to pusillanimous may be. But the participle makes a verb to pussify a necessary step from point A to point B. To make it mean 'somebody who has had this done to them', you need the em-, I guess. From there, I guess, it must be just one step to his noun.
What a tangled derivational web we weave:
pussy (fig.) > pussify > empussify > empussified, empussification.
2 comments:
Mr. V: I would beg to differ: pussy (fig.) > pussify > empussify > empussified OR > empussification. But then I like to hold to my cherished beliefs in things like derivation inside inflection. Signed, A Student of Morphology
Oh my god, I can't believe I did that ... it's been fixed.
Post a Comment