Where does “pounce” come from?
Pounce comes from French ponce, from Latin pumex meaning porous stone, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poH(y)-, related to speh₁- meaning to expand or stretch.
pounce (English): A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or...
Definitions
- A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or...
Ancestry of “pounce”, step by step
pounce traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French ponce
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | ponce | pumice; hot alcoholic beverage made with gin or... |
| 2 | Latin | pumex | a pumice stone; pumice; any porous rock |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)poH(y)- | foam |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |
via Middle English pounce
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pounce | Alternative form of paunche |