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putto

[poo-toh; Italian poot-taw]
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noun, plural put·ti [poo-tee; Italian poot-tee] /ˈpu ti; Italian ˈput ti/. Fine Arts.
  1. a representation of a cherubic infant, often shown winged.
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Origin of putto

1635–45; < Italian: literally, boy < Latin putus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for putti

Historical Examples

  • These emblems are repeated in the hands of the putti on either side of the steps.

    Pintoricchio

    Evelyn March Phillipps

  • Have Correggio's putti grown up yet and walked out of their frames?

    Correggio

    Estelle M. Hurll

  • The erect form of the Madonna is relieved in striking chiaroscuro against the mantle, upheld by putti.

    The Venetian School of Painting

    Evelyn March Phillipps

  • The monument stands under an arch, on which are three putti who hold up some folds as if they were opening the curtain of heaven.

  • Round the upper frieze are putti hunting, bearing garlands, &c.

    The Shores of the Adriatic

    F. Hamilton Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for putti

putto

noun plural -ti (-tɪ)
  1. a representation of a small boy, a cherub or cupid, esp in baroque painting or sculptureSee also amoretto
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Word Origin

from Italian, from Latin putus boy
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 putti

n.

1640s, from Italian putti "small boys," plural of putto, from Latin putus "boy, child" (see puerility).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper