Own. To possess. From onus, a burden.
P
P in its primitive form was the symbol of pairing, being, as the cut shows, a combination of U and I. The sort of thing a bashful lover would carve on a tree or stone or scratch in the sand when taking a walk with his adored one.
It seems natural that it should stand for Perfume, Poetry, Pastime, Pleasure, Passion, Panacea, Paradise, and Peace.
In Cupid’s Alphabet, to prevent the slightest breath of scandal, it is always placed after the symbol of the wedding ring.
The girls who come within the pale of this letter (see Phyllis, Prudence, Pearl, Penelope, Pauline, Philippa, Phœbe, or Priscilla), will be Petite and Pretty and will have perfect Poise. While the men will be Polite and Polished, great Posers and Poker Players, but Pliable in the hands of woman.