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moppet

[ mop-it ]
/ ˈmɒp ɪt /
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noun

a young child.

RELATED WORDS

child, toddler, tyke, kid

Nearby words

mopish, mopishly, mopoke, mopp, mopper-up, moppet, mopping-up, mopstick, mopy, moquette, moqui

Origin of moppet

1900–05; obsolete mop rag doll, baby (see mop1) + -et
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for moppet

British Dictionary definitions for moppet

moppet

/ (ˈmɒpɪt) /

noun

a less common word for poppet (def. 1)

Word Origin for moppet

C17: from obsolete mop rag doll; of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for moppet

moppet

n.

endearing term for a baby, a girl, etc., c.1600, from Middle English moppe "little child, baby doll" (mid-15c.) + -et, diminutive suffix. The Middle English word also meant "simpleton, fool," and may have been cognate with Low German mop "simpleton" [Barnhart]. Or, if "baby doll" is the original sense in Middle English, perhaps from Latin mappa "napkin, tablecloth," hence "rag doll."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper