Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “punning” come from?

Punning derives from English pun, which may relate to Korean 분 and Chinese 分, ultimately tracing to Proto-Germanic pūnōną meaning to split or divide.

punning (English): present participle of pun; The action of the verb...

Definitions

  1. present participle of pun; The action of the verb...

Ancestry of “punning”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpunTo beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “punning”

  • punningly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →