# puer

Pronunciation: US say "POO-ur" /ˈpu.ɚ/; UK say "POO-uh" /ˈpuː.ə/

## Noun

1. Alternative form of pu'er: a fermented tea from Yunnan, China, often aged for years and pressed into cakes. — Alternative form of pu'er.
   - Simple: Another spelling 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._
2. Ellipsis of puer aeternus: in Jungian psychology, an adult man who stays emotionally a child, avoiding commitment and responsibility. — Ellipsis of puer aeternus. (pronounced: say "POO-air" US /ˈpu.ɛɹ/, UK /ˈpuː.ɛə/)
   - Simple: Short form of puer aeternus: a grown man who acts like a boy and will not grow up.
   - _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._
3. Dung from dogs, fowl, and similar animals, formerly used in tanning to soften skins after an initial treatment with lime. (pronounced: US say "PYOO-ur" /ˈpju.ɚ/; UK say "PYOO-uh" /ˈpjuː.ə/)
   - Simple: Animal droppings used in old leather-making to soften skins after they are treated with lime.
   - _After the hair was scraped off the limed skins, workers steeped them in puer to soften them._
   - _Old tanneries relied on puer collected from nearby kennels and poultry yards._

## Origin

**Meaning 3** — Perhaps from French puer.
**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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/puer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).