puppy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpʌp.i/^[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain origin,^[2][3] but probably from Middle French poupée (“doll, toy”),^[2][3][4][5] from Vulgar Latin *puppa, from Latin pūpa, girl, doll (see puppet and pupil),^[2][5] since a small pet dog was treated like a toy.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small dog kept as a lady's pet, a toy dog: 1486.^[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The meaning shifted to a young dog, a whelp, in Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona (1591),^[2][6][3] replacing whelp.^[3] As a term of contempt for a vain, impertinent young man it is from 1589.^[2][6] Puppy dog is from 1595, in King John,^[2] puppy love from 1823 in Etymonline, 1834 in Barnhart,^[3][2] and puppy fat by 1913.^[3] pup is a shortening.^[7]

Timeline

• 1486 – a lap dog.^[2][6]
• 1589 – a conceited young man.^[2][6]
• 1591 – a young dog.^[2][6]
• 1823 – puppy love.^[3]
• 1913 – puppy fat.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A young dog; a pup.
2. (informal, derogatory) An inexperienced, brash or conceited young man.

Word family

• puppyhood
• puppyish
• puppylike
• hushpuppy
• mudpuppy
• puppy dog
• puppy love
• puppy mill

Related words

• pup
• puppet
• poppet
• pupil

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press