Where does “punctilio” come from?
Punctilio comes from Italian puntiglio, from Spanish puntillo, a diminutive of Spanish punta, from Latin punctum, the past participle of pungere meaning to prick or pierce.
punctilio (English): A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony or...
Definitions
- A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony or...
Ancestry of “punctilio”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | puntiglio | obstinacy |
| 2 | Spanish | puntillo | Diminutive of punto; self-love; staccato dot |
| 3 | Spanish | -illo | Added to masculine nouns to denote a diminutive... |
| 4 | Old Spanish | -iello | A diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |