Etymograph

English

punctilious

Punctilious comes from English punctilio ‘fine point in exactness of conduct’.

  1. English1500–presentpunctilio1‘fine point in exactness of conduct’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2001punctilious1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English punctilious
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2001, Robert Potts, The poet at play: “He was punctilious. According to those who worked with…”.

Lineage

  1. English1500–presentpunctilioWiktionary, English punctilious‘fine point in exactness of conduct’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2001punctiliousWiktionary, English punctilious. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2001, Robert Potts, The poet at play: “He was punctilious. According to those who worked with…”

A compound of punctilio ‘fine point in exactness of conduct’ + -ous

Italian puntiglio ‘obstinacy’

English punctilio

Every English word from English punctilio

Today it means

adj Strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or fastidious, particularly to codes or conventions.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “punctilious”. 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 / English punctilio / punctilious

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