Where does “punch” come from?
Punch comes from English puncheon, from Latin punctus, the past participle of pangere meaning to pierce or drive in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pewḱ-.
punch (English): A hit or strike with one's fist; Power, strength,...
Definitions
- A hit or strike with one's fist; Power, strength,...
Ancestry of “punch”, step by step
punch traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English punchen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | punchen | — |
| 2 | Old French | ponchonner | to punch |
| 3 | Old French | ponchon | puncheon |
| 4 | Latin | punctiō | puncture, pricking |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via Hindi पाँच
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hindi | पाँच | five |
| 2 | Old Hindi | पंच | five |
| 3 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀧𑀁𑀘 | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | पञ्च | combining form of पञ्चन्; five |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | pánća | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | pánča | five |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pénkʷe | five |
via Sanskrit पञ्चन्
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | पञ्चन् | five |