poppet
Americannoun
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Also called poppet valve. Machinery. a rising and falling valve consisting of a disk at the end of a vertically set stem, used in internal-combustion and steam engines.
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British Dialect. a girl or child (used as a term of endearment).
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Nautical. any of the vertical timbers bracing the bow or stern of a vessel about to be launched.
noun
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a term of affection for a small child or sweetheart
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Also called: poppet valve. a mushroom-shaped valve that is lifted from its seating against a spring by applying an axial force to its stem: commonly used as an exhaust or inlet valve in an internal-combustion engine
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nautical a temporary supporting brace for a vessel hauled on land or in a dry dock
Etymology
Origin of poppet
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; earlier form of puppet
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Let’s wrap those up for you, shall we, poppet?
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2014
But the one-name entity she most resembles isn't Madonna or Rihanna, but Stock, Aitken and Waterman's Scouse poppet Sonia.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 8, 2012
The camera went berserk as the curly-headed poppet blinked in surprise as she clutched her teddy bear.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 23, 2010
With effusive courtesy the examiner asks the license candidate to explain the difference between poppet valves and sleeve valves, stating the merits and defects of each.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Zola thinks about this, and then she goes away and later that day she brings to me a poppet dolly that she has made out of a dish towel and many colored ribbons.
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.