Where does “punishment” come from?
Punishment comes from Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, combining Old French punir with the suffix -ment from Latin -mentum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men- meaning to think or intend.
punishment (English): The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or...
Definitions
- The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or...
Ancestry of “punishment”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “punishment”