Where does “pungency” come from?
Pungency derives from Latin pungentia, the abstract noun formed from pungens, the present participle of pungo, meaning to prick or sting, with the suffix -ia inherited from Ancient Greek -ία and ultimately Proto-Indo-European -h₂.
pungency (English): The state of being pungent; A foul odor
Definitions
- The state of being pungent; A foul odor
Ancestry of “pungency”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -cy | Used to form nouns of state, condition or quality... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | -cie | — |
| 3 | Latin | -tia | office, rank |
| 4 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 5 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |