puppet
n. countablen. a doll or figure that you move by pulling strings or putting your hand inside it. You use it to tell stories or perform in a show.
n. a movable model of a person or animal, typically moved by strings or by a hand inside it, used in theatrical performances. Often used metaphorically to describe a person whose actions are controlled by another.
The children laughed at the funny hand puppet.
The street performer used a wooden puppet to act out scenes from local folk tales for the passing tourists.
While the play was ostensibly a children's comedy, the intricate movements of the shadow puppets suggested a much deeper, more melancholic narrative about the loss of innocence.
From Middle English popet, probably from, though attested earlier than, Middle French poupette, diminutive of poupée (cf. also Medieval Latin *pupata), ultimately derived from Latin pupa (“doll, puppet; girl”). The nominal form first appears c. 1531, and the verbal form c. 1635. See also puppy.
Commonly used in political contexts as a derogatory term for a leader who lacks independent power.