Etymograph

English

repugn

Repugn comes from Latin repugno ‘to fight against’, from pugnus ‘a fist’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-1‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnos1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnos1‘fist’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnus1‘a fist’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugno1‘fight’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErepugno2‘to fight against’
  7. Englishtodayrepugn2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin repugno
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English repugn

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-Wiktionary, Latin repugno‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnosWiktionary, Latin repugnoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnosWiktionary, Latin repugno‘fist’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnusWiktionary, Latin repugno‘a fist’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnoWiktionary, Latin repugno‘fight’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErepugnoWiktionary, English repugn‘to fight against’
  7. EnglishtodayrepugnWiktionary, English repugn

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘to punch, fist-fight’

point, fuck, punch, fist, pivot, poignant, puncture, pygmy, pungent, punctuate, punto, compunction, pugilist, 41 more

through Latin pugno ‘fight’

pugnacious, impugn, 13 more

Today it means

verb To oppose or resist

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “repugn”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin repugno. 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 *pewǵ- / repugn

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