Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

puppis, is (acc. rarely puppem, Luc. 3, 545; and 4, 132, acc. to Prisc. p. 758 and 761 P.; abl. puppe, Ov. M. 5, 653; 7, 1; 11, 464 al.; Sil. 14, 525; Stat. Th. 3, 29 et saep.), f. [etym. dub.].

  1. I. The hinder part of a ship, the stern or poop (where also the helm was placed): navem convertens ad puppim, Cic. Att. 13, 21, 3: surgens a puppi ventus, astern, right aft, Verg. A. 3, 130: e puppi, Curt. 4, 4, 8; Ov. M. 3, 651: major pars a puppe nantes equos loris trahebat, Curt. 7, 9, 4: puppes citae, Hor. Epod. 9, 20: sedebamus in puppi et clavum tenebamus, i. e. I sat at the helm of the ship of State, Cic. Fam. 9, 15, 3: quam ob rem conscende nobiscum. et quidem ad puppim, id. ib. 12, 25, 5.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. In gen., a ship: pictae puppes, Hor. C. 1, 14, 14; Verg. A. 1, 399; id. G. 3, 362; Ov. H. 13, 97.
    2. B. As a constellation, The Ship, Cic. Arat. 389.
    3. * C. In comic lang., the back: puppis Pereunda est probe, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 69.