Where does “punishing” come from?

Punishing comes from Middle English punischen, meaning to inflict a penalty or cause pain.

punishing (English): That punishes physically and/or mentally;...

Definitions

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	punish	To cause to suffer for crime or misconduct, to...
2	Middle English	punischen	—
3	Old French	puniss-	—
4	Old French	punir	to punish
5	Latin	puniō	—
6	Latin	poenā	—
7	Ancient Greek	ποινή	blood money, wergeld; fine, ransom, penalty,...
8	Proto-Hellenic	kʷoinā́	—
9	Proto-Indo-European	kʷoynéh₂	payment; punishment, vengeance
10	Proto-Indo-European	kʷey-	to pay; to avenge

punishing — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer