Link Centre Dictionary

puppet

pup·pet

UK/ˈpɐpət/ US/ˈpʌpɪt/ fairly common

noun

1.

a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer

Synonyms
2.

a person who is controlled by others and is used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else

Synonyms
3.

a doll with a hollow head of a person or animal and a cloth body; intended to fit over the hand and be manipulated with the fingers

Origin

From Middle English popet, probably from, though attested earlier than, Middle French poupette, diminutive of poupée (cf. also Medieval Latin *pupata), ultimately derived from Latin pupa (“doll, puppet; girl”). The nominal form first appears c. 1531, and the verbal form c. 1635. See also puppy.

Phrases

  • finger puppet
  • glove puppet
  • hand puppet
  • happy puppet syndrome
  • meat puppet
  • puppet army
  • puppet government
  • puppet leader

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.