Does the word "pouserieren" exist in German language?

Question

While reading German translations of Marquis de Sade's literature, particularly the books of Juliette and Justine, the word "pouserieren" is commonly used to indicate anal intercourse.

I've found this work in my print copy of "Juliette - oder Die Wonnen des Lasters Teil II" from Könekamp Verlag from 1995, and through a quick search in these following translations, available on Google Books: (1), (2), (3), (4)

But while I've found this word in five different publications of de Sade's works, I have yet to find it used anywhere else, I did not even find a single dictionary entry about it. Is this just a case of one translater using his creative freedom and other's simply copying his newly coined word, without it ever managing to gain any acknowledgement outside of these translations?

Answer 1

I'm unfamiliar with the word. It is not the original French word used by de Sade (according to a spot check I made, the French word used in the original is enculer, which is perfectly straightforward, even though it's decidedly not to be used in polite company).

All the "translations" you cite are actually different edition of a single 1906 translation by Martin Isenbiel (a prolific and polyglot translator of erotica, who is also credited for a translation of Fanny Hill), so it's unsurprising that they would have used the same word. Since that translation is in the public domain, it's conveniently republishable.

So the word may either be early 20th century Viennese slang, or entirely made up by the translator.

Answer 2

The word »pouserieren« is not a word of Standard German vocabulary, but it is not completely unknown.

When reading high quality erotic literature, you often find exotic words to describe different sexual practices. This is to avoid the repeated use of the same few words while you describe a certain action in more than just one short paragraph. Another reason for using exotic words is to give the situation you want to describe an exotic touch.

I guess, that you will not find the word in any other written German text than in the translations of Marquis de Sade.

But this word was adopted in spoken German, at least in some dialects. For example in the east of Austria this word is well understood:

Buserer, der
[busara]

Bedeutung:

• Stoß von hinten
• indirekter Stoß beim Karambolspiel

Quelle: Wienerisches Wörterbuch

my translation of the meanings:

• a push from behind
• indirect stroke at carom billards

The writing is different (there is no standardized orthography for dialect words), but since it sounds very similar, and has a very similar meaning (push from behind), I am pretty sure, that this dialect word derives from the word you found in your book.

Answer 3

I admit, this is not a full answer; but I thought it might be worth sharing anyway.

[Your copy of de Sade's work might be a simple reprint of an older translation.]

In the historic loanword-dictionary Handbuch der Fremdwörter in der deutschen Schrift und Umgangssprache, zum Verstehen und Vermeiden jener, mehr oder weniger entbehrlichen Einmischungen, mit einem eingefügten Namendeuter und Verzeichniss fremder Wortkürzungen, nebst den Zeichen der Scheidekunst und der Sternenkunde, herausgegeben von Dr. Friedrich Erdmann Petri, Leipzig Arnoldsche Buchhandlung 1865, p. 624, I found the entry:

Pousseur, m., fr. (spr. pußöhr), ein Frauenjäger, Liebler

So maybe the verb was known as a loandword in earlier german. Today it seems to have vanished, as your own research is already proving.

Answer 4

Pouserieren means to "urge" someone without violence. It has a similar meaning as "angehen".

Pouserieren was used as slang word in Vienna, especially when there is a special attraction for example to get in closer contact, male - female and the other way round.