LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

pūpus

pūpus m (genitive pūpī)
Classical[ˈpuː.pʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpuː.pus]

Meaning

  1. a boy, a child
  2. a puppet
  3. the pupil of the eye (post-class. for pūpula and pūpilla)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepūpuspūpī
puppī
genitivepūpī
puppī		pūpōrum
puppōrum
dativepūpō
puppō		pūpīs
puppīs
accusativepūpum
puppum		pūpōs
puppōs
ablativepūpō
puppō		pūpīs
puppīs
vocativepūpe
puppe		pūpī
puppī

pūpus, i, m. root pu-, to beget; cf.: puer, pubes.
I. A boy, a child, Varr. ap. Non. 156, 22; as a term of endearment, puppet, Suet. Calig. 13 fin.—
II. The pupil of the eye (post-class. for pupula and pupilla), Paul. Nol. Carm. 20, 179.

Origins

From a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little”) (whence also puer). De Vaan additionally supports Ernout and Meillet's hypothesis of pūpa being the original form, and pūpus being a derivative.

Descendants
  • Italianpupo
  • Sicilianpupu

Quick answers

What does pūpus mean in Latin?
pūpus, a noun, means “a boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye (post-class. for pūpula and pūpilla)”.
What is the genitive of pūpus?
The genitive singular is pūpī. pūpus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce pūpus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpuː.pʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpuː.pus].