puppy
Meaning
-
- A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months)
- A young rat.
- A young seal.
- (slang) A woman’s breast.
- (informal) A (generic) thing; particularly something that is a nuisance; a sucker.
- A conceited and impertinent person, especially a young man.
Synonyms
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈpʌpi/
Etymology
From earlier puppie (“a woman's pet dog”), of uncertain origin, but probably from Middle English *puppee, *poupee, from Old French poupée, popée (“a doll; puppet”). More at puppet. Mostly displaced native Middle English whelp (“puppy”), from Old English hwelp, whence Modern English whelp and whelpie.
Bookmark this
Improve your pronunciation
Start learning English with learnfeliz.
Practice speaking and memorizing "puppy" and many other words and sentences in English.
Go to our English course page
Notes