means Figures—of cloth, wood, or sock—moved and voiced by a hidden operator to mimic life, or, figuratively, people controlled by someone pulling the strings.

from From Middle English 'popet,' a small doll or little figure, borrowed from Old French 'poupette,' a diminutive of 'poupée' (doll), all tracing back to Latin 'pup(p)a,' meaning a girl or a doll. The same Latin root quietly fathered 'puppy' (a little dog-doll) and 'pupil' (the little figure of yourself reflected in someone's eye). 'Puppet' as a strung-up performer arrived a bit later, with the figurative sense—a person worked by unseen hands—following naturally once everyone could picture the strings.