DictionaryAI

puer

noun
USPOO-ur/ˈpu.ɚ/UKPOO-uh/ˈpuː.ə/

Pluralpuers

3 meanings of puer

Practice

  1. 1
    Chinese teanoun
    Alternative form of pu'er: a fermented tea from Yunnan, China, often aged for years and pressed into cakes.

    Connoisseurs prize well-aged puer for its deep, earthy flavor.

    She brewed the puer in several quick infusions, pouring off the first.

    Note

    The tea's name with its apostrophe dropped. Pu'er is the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of 普洱 (pǔ'ěr), where the apostrophe is a syllable-dividing mark that splits the word as pu-er. Written without it, the name looks identical to the tanner's dung, with which it shares nothing but spelling. The same name belongs to a city in Yunnan.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  2. 2
    SayPOO-airUS/ˈpu.ɛɹ/UK/ˈpuː.ɛə/
    eternal boynounabbreviationellipsis
    Ellipsis of puer aeternus: in Jungian psychology, an adult man who stays emotionally a child, avoiding commitment and responsibility.

    Critics described the aging rock star as a puer, forever chasing his lost youth.

    The puer drifts from project to project, resisting any lasting commitment.

    Note

    A shortened form at home in Jungian psychology, where it names the man who stays emotionally childlike. It takes an English plural, puers, and often appears alongside puellas. The short form also works well before another noun: writers speak of puer development or the puer syndrome. Jungian writer Daryl Sharp says his 1980 book on Franz Kafka drew heavily on Marie-Louise von Franz's account of the puer syndrome.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Puer is a shortened form of puer aeternus. en.wiktionary.org
    • Daryl Sharp was a Jungian writer and analyst. innercitybooks.net
    • Sharp's book on Franz Kafka, The Secret Raven, was first published in 1980. davidsharp.ca
    • Sharp said his Kafka book drew heavily on Marie-Louise von Franz's interpretation of the puer syndrome. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    USPYOO-ur/ˈpju.ɚ/UKPYOO-uh/ˈpjuː.ə/
    tanning dungnounhistoricaluncountable
    Dung from dogs, fowl, and similar animals, formerly used in tanning to soften skins after an initial treatment with lime.

    Like a natural softening bath that breaks down whatever leaves raw skin stiff.

    After the hair was scraped off the limed skins, workers steeped them in puer to soften them.

    A solution called the ‘pure’ or the 'pewer' (having never seen the word written.., we must spell it as pronounced) is prepared in a large vessel, and into this the skins are immersed.
    1842, The Penny Magazine, May 212/1
    Note

    A tannery word often recorded by ear. In 1842 The Penny Magazine spelled it 'pure' or 'pewer' and admitted it had never seen the word written. Tanners also used it as a verb: Henry Richardson Procter writes of a 'puering effect' in 1903. Tony Covington's Tanning Chemistry (2009) says its use was eventually discontinued, at least in Europe.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 7 facts

    • In 1842, The Penny Magazine printed the spellings 'pure' and 'pewer' and said its writer had never seen the word written. en.wiktionary.org
    • Tanners also used the word as a verb. dev.gutenberg.org
    • Henry Richardson Procter wrote of a 'puering effect' in The Principles of Leather Manufacture, published in 1903. dev.gutenberg.org
    • The author's name was Henry Richardson Procter. gutenberg.org
    • Pigeon dung remains in use in Moroccan tanneries; the claim should not be global. dbagh.org
    • Tony Covington's Tanning Chemistry was first published in 2009. blogs.rsc.org
    • Covington says the use of puer was eventually discontinued, at least in Europe. en.wiktionary.org

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Origins

Meaning 3

Perhaps from French puer.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Meaning 1

Pǔ'ěr (普洱) is written in Hanyu Pinyin with a syllable-dividing mark, called géyīn fúhào (隔音符號／隔音符号). The English spelling simply leaves that mark out.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • 普洱 is romanized Pǔ'ěr in Hanyu Pinyin, with an apostrophe separating the syllables. en.wiktionary.org
  • The syllable-dividing mark is called géyīn fúhào, written 隔音符號 in traditional Chinese and 隔音符号 in simplified Chinese. en.wiktionary.org
  • English puer derives from the Hanyu Pinyin form with the syllable-dividing mark omitted. en.wiktionary.org