Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “points” come from?

Points derives from Middle English point, from Old French point, from Latin punctum, the neuter past participle of pungere meaning to prick or pierce.

points (English): plural of point; Movable rails which can be used...

Definitions

  1. plural of point; Movable rails which can be used...

Ancestry of “points”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpointA discrete division of something; A sharp...
2Middle Englishpoint—
3Old Frenchpointa sting; a prick; moment; time; dot
4Latinpūnctum—
5Latinpunctuspricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;...
6Latin-tusForms the past participle of verbs; Forms...
7Proto-Italic-tus—
8Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “points”

  • pointsman
  • nonpoints
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →