English
pugilist
Pugilist comes from Latin pugil ‘boxer’, from pungō ‘to sting, pierce’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpungō‘to sting, pierce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugil‘boxer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851pugilist
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpungō‘to sting, pierce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugil‘boxer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851pugilist
Earliest quotation: 1851, Herman Melville: “I laugh and hoot at ye, ye cricket-players, ye…”
Formed from -ist
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’
fuck, pivot, fist, pygmy, repugnant, pugnacious, impugn, 39 more
through Proto-Italic *pungō ‘to prick, sting’
through Latin pungō ‘to sting, pierce’
point, punch, poignant, puncture, pungent, punctuate, punto, compunction, 20 more
Today it means
noun One who fights with their fists, especially a professional prize fighter; a boxer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- / pugilist