pup

Etymology

From a shortening of puppy.

noun

1. A young dog, wolf, fox, seal, bat or shark, or the young of certain other animals.
   The dog has had that bed since he was just a pup.
2. A young, inexperienced person.
   The new teacher is a mere pup.
3. Any cute dog, regardless of age.
   My pup likes to run as fast as he can, yet cannot always stop in time!
4. A short semi-trailer used jointly with a dolly and another semi-trailer to create a twin trailer.
5. (horticulture) A new plant growing from a shoot that can be used for propagation.
6. (film, television) A kind of small spotlight.
   For a scene like the Highgate exhumation night sequence suitable equipment would consist of: two brutes on Molevators, three 10 K lights also on Molevators and, for good measure, two 5 Ks, four 2 Ks, two pups (1000 W), two North lights […] 1976, A. Arthur Englander, Paul Petzold, Filming for Television, page 191
   Spots were also used for the foreground, usually the smaller type like a “pup,” which could be repositioned quickly for different setups. 2003, Christopher Neame, Rungs on a Ladder: Hammer Films Seen Through a Soft Gauze, page 23
7. (chiefly US, newspapers, publishing) An early edition of a periodical publication, intended for distribution to distant locations.
   Coordinate term: bulldog edition

verb

1. (intransitive) To give birth to pups.