*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pup

Clipping of puppy.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To give birth to pups.

noun

A young dog, wolf, fox, seal, bat or shark, or the young of certain other animals. · A young, inexperienced person. · Any cute dog, regardless of age. · A short semi-trailer used jointly with a dolly and another semi-trailer to create a twin trailer.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of puppy.

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "puppy"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of puppy"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "puppy",
      "puppy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To give birth to pups."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "577881accf6a40f75571cfe6f0ba8325c8f9dc7af067cb0efe76bf271fa50a26",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9d96aeaac8fa9f0b1c336c3d54cffc8554318f21d34fc331a9af27ec7f01d402",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 427719
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A young dog, wolf, fox, seal, bat or shark, or the young of certain other animals.",
        "A young, inexperienced person.",
        "Any cute dog, regardless of age.",
        "A short semi-trailer used jointly with a dolly and another semi-trailer to create a twin trailer."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e68ebde8460f8ad110331eb7ab0a84d05607d6e2c2c9cd86c54b2bc99fff916c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "12d6fe64048fe5685b67b0b16eebedd8e1c994418534cdec7a92e6be046994e7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 427718
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 5,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for pup →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cHVw