Judy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name, often a short form of Judith ; the wife character in the traditional seaside puppet show Punch and Judy ; an old-fashioned informal term for a girl or young woman
2. A woman's personal name, commonly used as a diminutive of Judith ; the shrewish spouse of Mr Punch in a glove-puppet street show ; a dated slang word meaning a female person
3. A name given to women, shortened from Judith ; the puppet wife who quarrels with Punch in a traditional British puppet performance ; an outdated colloquial label for a girl or female

Etymology: "Judy" is a familiar form of the given name Judith, which comes from the Hebrew name Yehudit, a feminine form of Yehudi, the word for a man of Judah. The name is thus linked to the tribal name Judah, whose root meaning is traditionally given as "praise" or "to praise." In English, "judy" as a common noun has long been used for a woman or girl, often in an informal or dated sense, and it also appears as a name in Punch and Judy, the traditional puppet show, where Judy is the wife of the title character. Her name became so tied to the show that "Judy" is often used in other contexts as a stock name for a sweetheart or lively young woman.