puppet Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
    marionette.
  2. noun a person who is controlled by others and is used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else
    tool; creature.
  3. noun a doll with a hollow head of a person or animal and a cloth body; intended to fit over the hand and be manipulated with the fingers

WordNet

Pup"pet noun
Etymology
OE. popet, OF. poupette; akin to F. poupée a doll, probably from L. puppa, pupa, a girl, doll, puppet. Cf. Poupeton, Pupa, Pupil, Puppy.
Definitions
  1. A small image in the human form; a doll.
  2. A similar figure moved by the hand or by a wire in a mock drama; a marionette; a wooden actor in a play.
    At the pipes of some carved organ move, The gilded puppets dance. Pope.
  3. One controlled in his action by the will of another; a tool; -- so used in contempt. Sir W. Scott.
  4. (Mach.) The upright support for the bearing of the spindle in a lathe.

Webster 1913