Pup

Pup

Noun · /pʌp/ · a young dog; also the young of certain other animals

Definition

A pup is a young dog, typically one still dependent on its mother and not yet fully grown. The word also extends to the young of several other animals — a seal pup, a shark pup, a rat pup. Informally, pup is used to describe a young, inexperienced, or naively overconfident person — someone who does not yet know enough to be cautious. The word is warm and affectionate in most contexts, though the informal use can carry a light note of condescension.

Origin

Pup is a shortening of puppy, which came into English in the 16th century from French poupée — meaning a doll or toy — itself from Latin pupa, meaning girl, doll, or chrysalis. The French used poupée to refer to a small lapdog kept as a fashion accessory. English shortened puppy to pup in everyday speech, and the word gradually came to mean any young dog, not just a fashionable lap breed.