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moppet

/ˈmɑpət/
IPA guide

Other forms: moppets

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."

Definitions of moppet
  1. noun
    a little girl (usually one you are fond of)
    see moresee less
    type of:
    female child, girl, little girl
    a youthful female person
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