"Pussy" as a slang term for the female pudenda is thought to derive ultimately from Low German puse "vulva" or Old Norse puss "pocket, pouch". It didn't arise in English with a sexual meaning until the 19th century, but prior to that it had been used to refer to women in general (16th century). It has since also come to mean "effeminate, feeble, or homosexual men or boys" (20th century). In case you are curious about "Cunt": It first shows up in a list of London street names of about 1230. That street name was, interestingly, Gropecuntelane, one of a warren of streets and alleyways all given over to the lowest forms of prostitution and bawdry. It lay between Aldermanbury and Coleman Street (where the Swiss Bank stands today) and it belonged to one "William de Edmonton". Curiously, medieval Paris had a street name with an identical meaning - Rue Grattecon. Oxford and York apparently also had similar versions of that street name. Cunt is believed to derive from a Germanic root *kunton "female genitalia", which also gave rise to Old Norse kunta (ancestor of Norwegian and Swedish dialectical kunta and Danish dialectical kunte), Old Frisian, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch kunte, and the English doublet quaint. And, by the way, the word wasn't always considered derogatory, even though it is today. Be careful about assuming that a word's modern connotations must have governed its formation. By the way, no connection has been made between the Germanic words and Latin cunnus. The proto-Germanic root of cunt is ku- "hollow place", while the Indo-European root of Latin cunnus is (s)keu- "to cover, to conceal", the etymological meaning of cunnus being "sheath". How about "Poontang"? This smacks strongly of a folk etymology formed by people who did not understand the term poontang. If that's what it is, the couplet indicates that the term poontang has been around since 1909! Interestingly, the first example of the word in writing is from 1929. That's not surprising, as a writer would have had to be mighty brave to record that word before it had become common and lost some of its edge. What exactly does poontang mean? It has several meanings: a woman as a sex object, sexual intercourse, and probably the ultimate meaning, female pudenda. So where did such a bizarre-sounding word come from? There are several theories. Probably the most popular is that it derives from Louisiana (and standard) French putain "whore". This is possible as most people we know who are familiar with the word are from Louisiana or some state nearby, or they first heard the word from a citizen of that area. However, the connection to putain is based mostly on conjecture, because of the similarity of the French word to the English one. Some etymologists specializing in slang think that the word more likely derives from a Chinese language, as there are variant forms like poon tai and poon kai. One school has it coming from some Filipino language. Courtesy of http://www.takeourword.com/pt.html

I'm not sure, but I guess it has something to do with the "pussy willow", which is "soft and reproductive", and the vagina, which is "soft and, er, seductive".

Because chicks don't like it when you say "cunt"!

slang for "cunt," 1879, but probably older; perhaps from O.N. puss "pocket, pouch" (cf. Low Ger. puse "vulva"), but perhaps instead from the cat word (see pussy (1)) on notion of "soft, warm, furry thing;" cf. Fr. le chat, which also has a double meaning, feline and genital. Earlier uses are difficult to distinguish from pussy (1), e.g.: "The word pussie is now used of a woman" [Philip Stubbes, "The Anatomie of Abuses," 1583] But the use of pussy as a term of endearment argues against the vaginal sense being generally known before late 19c., e.g.: " 'What do you think, pussy?' said her father to Eva." [Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1852] Pussy-whipped first attested 1956. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pussy Etymology: perhaps of Low German or Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse pÅ«ss pocket, pouch, Low German pÅ«se - vulva, Old English pusa - bag Date: circa 1879 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary Origin: 1875–80; perh. < D, a dim. of poes vulva, akin to LG pÅ«se vulva, OE pusa bag slang for "cunt," 1879, but probably older; perhaps from O.N. puss "pocket, pouch" (cf. Low Ger. puse "vulva"), but perhaps instead from the cat word (see pussy (1)) on notion of "soft, warm, furry thing;" cf. Fr. le chat, which also has a double meaning, feline and genital. Earlier uses are difficult to distinguish from pussy (1), e.g.: "The word pussie is now used of a woman" [Philip Stubbes, "The Anatomie of Abuses," 1583] But the use of pussy as a term of endearment argues against the vaginal sense being generally known before late 19c., e.g.: " 'What do you think, pussy?' said her father to Eva." [Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1852] http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pussy&r=66

She got in the wrong end of the bed.