The Secret Language of Bouquets: Tussie-Mussies — A Botanical History
Wearing flowers and carrying bouquets among upper-class women in the Victorian era was the height of fashion. This trend would develop into complex arrangements with a language of their own. The term tussie-mussie has 15th century origins, derived from the word tusmose, a compound of tussie, meaning a bunch of flowers and mose or mussie, the damp moss the stems of the flowers were placed in to prevent them from wilting. This term may have originated in religious texts to refer to flower arrangements. Tussie-mussie has also been used to describe the decorative containers for holding these herb and flower arrangements rather than the bouquets themselves. However, by the 17th century, tussie-mussie began to fade from everyday use because of its connection to slang considered vulgar. Whether tussie-mussie was thought of as a sacred, profane or practical phrase, it was not a typical term used by Victorians for these floral arrangements. Instead they are referred to as bouquets, posies or nosegays. A resurgence of the use of tussie-mussie for these small bouquets in American English occurred in the early 20th century. Like pomanders, these small bouquets were originally carried to avoid unpleasant odors believed to be the source of illness.
