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Added 9 October 2026

puppy

/ˈpʌpi/ noun

In Latin: catulus, catellus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about puppy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months).
A young rat.
A young seal.

verb

To bring forth whelps or give birth to pups.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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