puppy
pronunciation
How to pronounce puppy in British English:
UK [ˈpʌpi]
How to pronounce puppy in American English:
US [ˈpʌpi]
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- Noun:
- young dog
- an inexperienced young person
Word Origin
- puppy
- puppy: [15] A puppy is etymologically a ‘toy’ dog. The word was borrowed from Old French popee ‘doll’, hence ‘toy’, which went back via Vulgar Latin *puppa (source of English puppet) to Latin pūpa ‘girl, doll’ (source of English pupa and pupil). The shift from ‘toy dog, lapdog’ to ‘young dog’ happened towards the end of the 16th century. (The Old and Middle English word for ‘puppy’, incidentally, was whelp.)=> pupil
- puppy (n.)
- late 15c., "woman's small pet dog," of uncertain origin but likely from Middle French poupée "doll, toy" (see puppet). Meaning shifted from "toy dog" to "young dog" (1590s), replacing Middle English whelp. In early use in English puppet and puppy were not always distinct from each other. Also used about that time in sense of "vain young man." Puppy-dog first attested 1590s (in Shakespeare, puppi-dogges). Puppy love is from 1823. Puppy fat is from 1937.
Example
- 1. You know what they call a puppy 's mother ?
- 2. Most dog lovers know about the often horrid conditions of puppy mills , the unregulated breeding facilities owned by disreputable breeders .
- 3. Ruppy the transgenic puppy at 10 days old .
- 4. As entertained as if they were feeding beer to a puppy .
- 5. The puppy officially arrives tuesday .