Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pugilist” come from?

Pugilist comes from Latin pugil, a fighter or boxer, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pewǵ-, meaning to strike or fight.

pugilist (English): One who fights with his fists; especially a...

Definitions

  1. One who fights with his fists; especially a...

Ancestry of “pugilist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpugila boxer, pugilist; a hardened forehead
2Latin-ilis-ile
3Proto-Italic-elis—
4Proto-Indo-European-elis—
5Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “pugilist”

  • pugilistic
  • pugilistically
  • pugilistics
  • pugilistique
  • pugiliste
  • pugilist
  • pugilistă
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →