Etymograph

English

punch

Punch comes from Old French ponchonner ‘to punch’, and goes back to ponchon ‘pointed tool’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ponchon1‘pointed tool’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ponchonner1‘to punch’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punchen1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1922punch1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English punch
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, William Otis Badger, The Workmen's compensation law journal: “As night watchman he was required to punch a…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ponchonWiktionary, English punch‘pointed tool’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ponchonnerWiktionary, English punch‘to punch’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punchenWiktionary, English punch
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1922punchWiktionary, English punch. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, William Otis Badger, The Workmen's compensation law journal: “As night watchman he was required to punch a…”

The story

Also influenced by Middle English punchon ("a punch"; see puncheon).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’

fuck, fist, pivot, pygmy, repugnant, pugnacious, impugn, 40 more

through Latin pungō ‘I prick’

point, poignant, pungent, pugilist, punto, compunction, 19 more

through Latin punctus

pointe, punctuation, puncture, punctual, punctuate, 9 more

Another origin of punch

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpungō‘to prick’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpunctusuncertainperfect passive participle of pungō
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpunctio‘puncture, pricking’uncertain
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ponchon‘pointed tool’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punchoun
  8. Englishtodaypunch

Shortened form of puncheon, from Middle English punchoun, from Old French ponchon (‘pointed tool’), from Latin punctio, from punctus, perfect passive participle of pungō (‘to prick’).

Another origin of punch

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pénkʷe‘five’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*pánča‘five’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*pánćareconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEपञ्चpáñca‘five’
  5. Sauraseni Prakritmodern𑀧𑀁𑀘
  6. Old Hindimodernपंच
  7. Urdumodernپانچpānc‘five’
  8. Hindic. 1500–presentपाँचpā̃c‘five’
  9. Englishtodaypunch

Today it means

noun A hit or strike with one's fist.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “punch”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French ponchon / punch

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