Today's Word: Panty-waist (Noun)

Pronunciation: ['pæn-ti-weyst]

Definition 1: A sissy, a coward; as an adjective: effeminate, weak.

Usage 1: The word may still refer to the article of clothing though it is no longer used. The current usage probably originated in a phrase such as, "He wears a panty-waist."

Suggested usage: The term is usually an insult aimed a males: "Alec is such a panty-waist, he'll never ask for a raise." But there is no reason why it can't be used to describe women: "Marcie is a political panty-waist who would never sign a petition." This word is an excellent insult. Though it means "coward," panty-waist is such a lexical oddity that even the recipient of this insult is more likely to laugh than take offense.

Etymology: Originally an undergarment worn by children comprising a "waist," an upper garment coming to the waist, to which panties were buttoned to keep kids from losing them. This arrangement required an adult to unbutton the panties (originally pants for kids) in order for the child to go to the bathroom. "Pants" goes back to "pantaloons" whose eponym is Saint Panteleone (all + lion), the patron saint of doctors, beheaded by the Romans in 305. The saint's name was slightly modified for the buffoon in the 15th-century Italian Comedia dell'arte, who wore spectacles and blousy breeches that inherited his name, Pantaloon. (Our gratitude to Joan Endres of S2N Media for mentioning this oft overlooked insult, so disarmingly quaint as to lose any offensive force.)

—Dr. Language, www.yourDictionary.com