poppet

American  

[pop-it] / ˈpɒp ɪt /

noun

1. 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.

2. British Dialect. a girl or child (used as a term of endearment).

3. Nautical. any of the vertical timbers bracing the bow or stern of a vessel about to be launched.

4. poppit.

5. poppethead.

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poppet British  

/ ˈpɒpɪt /

noun

1. a term of affection for a small child or sweetheart

2. 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

3. nautical a temporary supporting brace for a vessel hauled on land or in a dry dock

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Etymology

Origin of poppet

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; earlier form of puppet

Example Sentences

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 letters, translated by an academic with the help of her three-year-old son, show Swift addressing Stella as his "poo poo ppt" – his poor poor poppet.

From The Guardian • Jan. 28, 2011

Experts had allowed their three Wright Whirlwind motors 400 flying hours before bearings splintered and cracked, poppet valves ceased to pop.

From Time Magazine Archive

“A poppet looks like a doll but is filled with magic.”

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce