English
pugnacious
Pugnacious comes from Latin pugnāx ‘combative, fond of fighting, pugnacious,…’, from pugnus ‘fist’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnos‘fist’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnus‘fist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnō‘to fight’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnāx‘combative, fond of fighting, pugnacious, aggressive’
- Englishearliest quotation 1858pugnacious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnos‘fist’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnus‘fist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnō‘to fight’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnāx‘combative, fond of fighting, pugnacious, aggressive’
- Englishearliest quotation 1858pugnacious
Earliest quotation: 1858, Anthony Trollope, London: Chapman & Hall: “Not that the doctor was a bully, or even…”
Formed from pugnāx + -ous
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’
point, fuck, punch, fist, pivot, puncture, poignant, pungent, pygmy, punto, punctuate, compunction, pugilist, 41 more
through Latin pugnō ‘to fight’
Today it means
adj Naturally aggressive or hostile; combative; belligerent; bellicose.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- / pugnacious