English
punishment
Punishment comes from Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir ‘to punish’, from Latin pūniō, from poena ‘penalty’ (from Greek ποινή).
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-1‘to pay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂1‘punishment, vengeance’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́2reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινή1poinḗ‘penalty, fine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena1‘punishment, penalty’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūniō3as pūnīre‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punir4‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punissement4
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punishement4
- Englishearliest quotation 2012punishment4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin punio
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ποινή
- 3 Wiktionary, Old French punir
- 4 Wiktionary, English punishment
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, John D. Sutter, Welcome to the world’s nicest prison: “But officials here maintain that their methods do make…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-Wiktionary, Latin punio‘to pay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂Wiktionary, Latin punio‘punishment, vengeance’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ποινήreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινήWiktionary, Latin puniopoinḗ‘penalty, fine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoenaWiktionary, Latin punio‘punishment, penalty’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūniōWiktionary, Old French puniras pūnīre‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punirWiktionary, English punishment‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punissementWiktionary, English punishment
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punishementWiktionary, English punishment
- Englishearliest quotation 2012punishmentWiktionary, English punishment. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, John D. Sutter, Welcome to the world’s nicest prison: “But officials here maintain that their methods do make…”
Formed from punish + -ment
Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’
…
Ancient Greek ποινή ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
Latin poena ‘punishment, penalty’
Latin puniō ‘to inflict punishment upon’
Middle English punischen
English punish
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’
poetry, painful, poem, poet, titanium, painless, whey, onomatopoeia, 21 more
through Ancient Greek ποινή ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
through Latin poena ‘punishment, penalty’
pain, pine, penal, impunity, 5 more
through Latin puniō ‘to punish’
Today it means
noun The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or dissatisfied with the behavior or actions of a child, student, or someone else being looked after.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “punishment”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin punio, Ancient Greek ποινή, Old French punir. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- / punishment