a puppet manipulated from above by strings attached to its jointed limbs.
Origin
1610-20; < Frenchmarionnette, equivalent to Marion (diminutive of Marie Mary) + -ette-ette
Examples from the web for marionette
Its crooked arm and keys suggest a bemedaled marionette on parade, while its too-thin roll of paper hints at a pea-size brain.
He had at once begun to take it apart painstakingly, obsessively, as always when a marionette developed some flaw.
Trained educators work with the marionette and address probing questions openly and with sensitivity.
British Dictionary definitions for marionette
marionette
/ˌmærɪəˈnɛt/
noun
1.
an articulated puppet or doll whose jointed limbs are moved by strings
Word Origin
C17: from French, from Marion, diminutive of Marie Mary + -ette
Word Origin and History for marionette
n.
puppet worked by strings, c.1620, literally "little little Mary," from French marionette (16c.), diminutive of Old French mariole "figurine, idol, picture of the Virgin Mary," diminutive of Marie (see Mary).