Puppy Meaning
/ˈpʌpi/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA young dog, especially before sexual maturity (12–18 months)
nounA young rat.
Sentence Examples
The puppy licked her on the cheek.
Susan found out where the puppy had come from.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The playful ____ wagged its tail and jumped up to greet its owner after a long day at work.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children were overjoyed when their parents brought home a tiny ____ from the rescue shelter.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I found my place taken by an ill-bred, awkward puppy with a money bag under each arm."
— 1711 July 23 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “THURSDAY, July 13, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 106; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
"I ne'r vvith VVits and VVitlings paſt my days, / To ſpread about the Itch of Verſe and Praiſe, / Nor like a Puppy daggled thro' the Tovvn, / To fetch and carry Sing-ſong up and dovvn; […]"
— 1735 January 13 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1734), [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London: […] J[ohn] Wright for Lawton Gilliver […], →OCLC, page 12, lines 218–221:
"I think him a very handsome young man, and his manners are precisely what I like and approve—so truly the gentleman, without the least conceit or puppyism. You must know I have a vast dislike to puppies—quite a horror of them."
— 1816, Jane Austen, Emma:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The playful ____ wagged its tail and jumped up to greet its owner after a long day at work.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children were overjoyed when their parents brought home a tiny ____ from the rescue shelter.