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Origin and history of hiss

hiss(v.)

late 14c., of imitative origin. Compare Danish hysse, German zischen, etc. Johnson wrote, "it is remarkable, that this word cannot be pronounced without making the noise which it signifies." Earlier in Middle English ciss, siss was used of a snake's sound (early 14c.). Related: Hissed; hissing.

hiss(n.)

"a continued 's' sound, commonly expressing disapproval or contempt," 1510s, from hiss (v.).

also from 1510s

Entries linking to hiss

hissing(n.)

"a hiss," late 14c., hissyng, verbal noun from hiss (v.). Originally also "a whistling;" in both senses expressing opprobrium.

hissy(adj.)

1905, from hiss (n.) + -y (2). Hissy fit is attested by 1983.

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    Trends of hiss

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    boo
    early 15c., boh, "A combination of consonant and vowel especially fitted to produce a loud and startling sound" [OED, which compares Latin boare, Greek boaein "to cry aloud, roar, shout"]; as an expression of disapproval, 1884 (n.); hence, the verb meaning "shower (someone) with
    hoot
    "to call or shout in disapproval or scorn," c. 1600, probably related to or a variant of Middle English houten, huten "to shout, call out" (c. 1200), which is more or less imitative of the sound of the thing. First used of bird cries, especially that of the owl, mid-15c. Meaning
    persiflage
    banter" (18c.), from Latin per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + French siffler "to whistle, hiss...," from collateral form of Latin sibilare "to hiss," which possibly is of imitative origin....
    querulous
    complain," from Proto-Italic *kwese-, of uncertain etymology, perhaps, via the notion of "to sigh," from a PIE root *kues- "to hiss..." (source also of Sanskrit svasiti "to hiss, snort"), which is not very compelling, but no better etymology has been offered...
    quarrel
    lament," from Proto-Italic *kwese-, of uncertain etymology, perhaps, via the notion of "to sigh," from a PIE root *kues- "to hiss..." (source also of Sanskrit svasiti "to hiss, snort"), which is not very compelling, but no better etymology has been offered...
    whisper
    Dutch wispelen, Old High German hwispalon, German wispeln, wispern, Old Norse hviskra "to whisper"), from PIE *kwei- "to hiss...
    mouth
    Old English muþ "oral opening of an animal or human; opening of anything, door, gate," from Proto-Germanic *muntha- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian muth, Old Norse munnr, Danish mund, Middle Dutch mont, Dutch mond, Old High German mund, German Mund, Gothic munþs "mouth"),
    noise
    c. 1200, "sound of a musical instrument;" mid-13c., "loud speech, outcry, clamor, shouting;" c. 1300, "a sound of any kind from any source," especially a loud and disagreeable sound, from Old French noise "din, disturbance, uproar, brawl" (11c., in modern French only in phrase ch
    shout
    c. 1300, shouten, schowten "to call or cry out loudly," a word of unknown origin; perhaps from the root of shoot (v.) on the notion of "throw the voice out loudly," or related to Old Norse skuta "a taunt" (compare scout (v.2)); both of which are reconstructed to be from PIE root

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