Are you a hussy at heart, too?

What exactly do you think a hussy is? As you know we certainly don't think it is a derogatory term and have donned it was our mantle and so have many other hussies who have joined us on the chat list and other forums.

We've found a sisterhood with each of you and are enjoying sharing the transformation of our favorite word, Hussy!

A hussy originally was a a very respected word, which meant 'mistress of the household' or 'housewife' until the 1700s or so, when it meant a woman who was rather crude, rural and not very sophisticated. As the years progressed, the term regressed into a slur.

But back to housewife and how it became hussy. I mean why that word? In doing some research I discovered one possible reason - Hussy was the word for a sewing basket. Go figure.

Still, how does a word metamorphose into something else? I tend to forget that language is a living thing and it changes constantly. Typically reflected by slang, but it does. Words like cooperate and coordinate used to have hypens between them. Certain words used to be put together like alright for all right. So as we change so does our language and the definition of our words.

Still, I have to scratch my head and wonder how Hussy transformed from such a common respectable word to how my great great great grandmother reacted when yankee soldiers moving through her family farm during the civil war called her a hussy and she chased him through the front yard with a frying pan. Go grandma! Of course, she was a young woman at the time, so that is a scene I'll have to use someday when I write another historical. (g)

So here we are full circle, reclaiming the word and with your help transforming it into a modern term that means strong independent women who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it.

What is your definition of hussy? What do you feel makes you or any other woman a true hussy?