Where does “punctum” come from?

Punctum comes from Latin punctum, the neuter form of punctus, a past participle of pungere meaning to prick or pierce, derived from Proto-Indo-European pewḱ-.

punctum (English): A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point...

Definitions

  1. A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point...

Ancestry of “punctum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpūnctumpoint
2Latinpunctuspricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;...
3Latin-tusForms the past participle of verbs; Forms...
4Proto-Italic-tus—
5Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →Every word from Latin -tus →Every word from Latin punctus →
punctum — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer