Where does “punctilious” come from?
Punctilious comes from English punctilio, from Italian puntiglio, from Old French -eux, from Latin -osus, from Latin punctum and punctus, from Proto-Indo-European pewḱ-, meaning to prick or pierce.
punctilious (English): Strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or...
Definitions
- Strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or...
Ancestry of “punctilious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | punctilio | A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony or... |
| 2 | Italian | puntiglio | obstinacy |
| 3 | Spanish | puntillo | Diminutive of punto; self-love; staccato dot |
| 4 | Spanish | -illo | Added to masculine nouns to denote a diminutive... |
| 5 | Old Spanish | -iello | A diminutive suffix |
| 6 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
Words derived from “punctilious”