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

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

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

The comic-strip moppet plays pranks on Mr. Wilson, the crotchety fellow who lives next door.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2019

A childhood spent around cameras seasoned her as a performer, leading her to a turn as the smart-alecky moppet in Hocus Pocus.

From The Guardian • Jan. 25, 2018

"I had a little moppet, I put it in my pocket, And fed it on corn and hay, There came a proud beggar And swore he would wed her, and stole my little moppet away."

From A History of Nursery Rhymes by Green, Percy B.