moppet

American  

[mop-it] / ˈmɒp ɪt /

noun

1. a young child.

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moppet British  

/ ˈmɒpɪt /

noun

1. a less common word for poppet

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Etymology

Origin of moppet

1900–05; obsolete mop rag doll, baby ( see mop ¹) + -et

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Explanation

An adorable child can be called a moppet. A sweet moppet sitting behind you on an airplane is completely different from a screaming, kicking kid occupying that seat. Though it's a bit old fashioned, you can use the informal word moppet when you're talking fondly about a child. You might watch a group of moppets learning to skate on an ice rink or enjoy a movie about some adorable moppets who scheme to get their lost dog back. Traditionally, this word usually referred to a girl, and earlier it meant "a doll," from the Middle English moppe, "little child or baby doll."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moppet

The first half of the movie largely centers on the life that Raphaël makes with Juliette as she grows from a curly-head moppet into a bold young adult who’s at once dreamy and pragmatic.

From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023

And, like that earlier film, this movie is less about the exploits of an adorable moppet and his worldly-wise older relative than the brother-sister relationship that hovers just around the edges.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2021

This straw-stuffed moppet, with black eyes reminiscent of a shark's, can be seen at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida — though why anyone would want to is a mystery.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2021

It is a bit dismaying to see Roman Griffin Davis in here for his moderate child-actor moppet turn in the worryingly overindulged Jojo Rabbit.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 3, 2020

A'a tha little knows, young moppet, Ha awst have to tew for thee; But may be when forced to drop it, 'At tha'll do a bit for me.

From Yorkshire Lyrics Poems written in the Dialect as Spoken in the West Riding of Yorkshire. To which are added a Selection of Fugitive Verses not in the Dialect by John Hartley

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