punch

punch
\ \ English has three distinct words punch, not counting the capitalized character in the Punch and Judy show, but two of them are probably ultimately related. Punchhit’ [14] originated as a variant of Middle English pouncepierce, prod’. This came from Old French poinsonnerprick, stamp’, a derivative of the noun poinsonpointed tool’ (source of the now obsolete English puncheonpointed tool’ [14]).
\ \ And poinson in turn came from Vulgar Latin *punctiō, a derivative of *punctiārepierce, prick’, which went back to the past participle of Latin pungereprick’ (source of English point, punctuation, etc). Punchtool for making holes’ [15] (as in ‘ticket punch’) probably originated as an abbreviated version of puncheon. Punchdrink’ [17] is said to come from Hindi pānch, a descendant of Sanskrit panchanfive’, an allusion to the fact that the drink is traditionally made from five ingredients: spirits, water, lemon juice, sugar, and spice. This has never been definitely established, however, and an alternative possibility is that it is an abbreviation of puncheonbarrel’ [15], a word of uncertain origin.
\ \ The name of Mr Punch [17] is short for Punchinello, which comes from a Neapolitan dialect word polecenella. This may have been a diminutive of Italian polecenayoung turkey’, which goes back ultimately to Latin pullusyoung animal, young chicken’ (source of English poultry). It is presumably an allusion to Punch’s beaklike nose.
\ \ Cf.POINT, PUNCTUATION

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Punch — can refer to:Tools* Punch (metalworking), a tool used to create an impression in a metal * Punch (numismatics), an intermediate used in the process of manufacturing coins * Punch (typography), an intermediate used in the process of manufacturing… …   Wikipedia

  • Punch — /punch/, n. 1. the chief male character in a Punch and Judy show. 2. pleased as Punch, highly pleased; delighted: They were pleased as Punch at having been asked to come along. [short for PUNCHINELLO] * * * I English illustrated periodical… …   Universalium

  • punch — punch1 [punch] n. [prob. < var. of ponchon: see PUNCHEON1] 1. a) a tool driven or pressed against a surface that is to be stamped, pierced, etc. b) a tool driven against a nail, bolt, etc. that is to be worked in, or against a pin that is to… …   English World dictionary

  • Punch — Punch, n. [Hind. p[=a]nch five, Skr. pa?can. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See {Five}.] A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Punch — Punch, n. [Abbrev. fr. puncheon.] 1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • punch — Ⅰ. punch [1] ► VERB 1) strike with the fist. 2) press (a button or key on a machine). 3) N. Amer. drive (cattle) by prodding them with a stick. ► NOUN 1) a blow with the fist. 2) informal …   English terms dictionary

  • punch up — ˌpunch ˈup [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they punch up he/she/it punches up present participle punching up past tense …   Useful english dictionary

  • Punch — Punch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Punched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Punching}.] [From {Punch}, n., a tool; cf. F. poin[,c]onner.] To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. [1913 Webster] {Punching… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Punch — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Punch puede referirse a: Punch y Judy, títeres tradicionales ingleses Punch (revista) Obtenido de Punch Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación …   Wikipedia Español

  • punch|y — «PUHN chee», adjective, punch|i|er, punch|i|est. Informal. 1. having lots of punch; forceful; terse; hard hitting: » …   Useful english dictionary

  • Punch — Punch, n. [Prov. E. Cf. {Punchy}.] 1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick. [1913 Webster] I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch, which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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