Etymograph

English

penal

Penal comes from Medieval Latin penalis, from Latin poena ‘punishment’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-‘to pay’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂‘payment’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινήpoinḗ‘punishment’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoenalis
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500penalis
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400peinal
  9. Englishtodaypenal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-‘to pay’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂‘payment’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινήpoinḗ‘punishment’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoenalis
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500penalis
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400peinal
  9. Englishtodaypenal

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’

poetry, painful, poem, poet, titanium, painless, whey, onomatopoeia, 21 more

through Ancient Greek ποινή ‘punishment’

subpoena, 5 more

through Latin poena ‘punishment’

pain, punishment, pine, punish, punitive, impunity, 4 more

Today it means

adj Of or relating to punishment.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- / penal

Shirt and support for this word