Where does “compunction” come from?
Compunction comes from Middle English compunccion, from Old French compunction, from Late Latin compunctionem, the accusative of compunctus, past participle of compungere, meaning to prick or sting.
compunction (English): A pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret,...
Definitions
- A pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret,...
Ancestry of “compunction”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | compunccion | — |
| 2 | Old French | compunction | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | compunctionem | a pricking; accusative singular of compūnctiō |
| 4 | Latin | compunctus | pricked, punctured; goaded, stimulated; tattooed |
| 5 | Latin | compungere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 7 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |