popet

Middle English

Alternative forms

• poopet, poepet

Etymology

Probably from Middle French poupette, though it antedates it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔpɛt/, /ˈpoːpɛt/, /ˈpupɛt/

Noun

popet (plural popettes)

1. A small or young person.
   • c. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Prologue to "Sir Thopas", lines 700–702 (Ellesmere):

     He in the wast is shape as wel as I; / This were a popet in an arm t’enbrace / For any womman smal and fair of face!

     He in the waist is made as nice as I; / This would be a popet in one's arms to embrace / For any woman small and fair of face!

2. (rare) A mannikin; a figurine.

Descendants

• English: puppet, poppet

References

• “popet, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “popet”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.