English
punctuate
Punctuate comes from Medieval Latin pūnctuātus ‘marked with a point or by pointing’, from pungō ‘to prick, punch’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500pungō‘to prick, punch’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctus‘a point, dot’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctuō‘to mark with points’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctuātus‘marked with a point or by pointing’perfect passive participle of pūnctuō
- Englishearliest quotation 1918punctuate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘prick, punch’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500pungō‘to prick, punch’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctus‘a point, dot’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctuō‘to mark with points’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500pūnctuātus‘marked with a point or by pointing’perfect passive participle of pūnctuō
- Englishearliest quotation 1918punctuate
Earliest quotation: 1918, Franklin Henry Martin, Surgery: “[…] with a punctuate wound of entrance and a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’
fuck, fist, pivot, repugnant, pygmy, pugnacious, impugn, 40 more
through Medieval Latin pungō ‘to prick, punch’
point, poignant, pungent, punto, pugilist, compunction, puncheon, 19 more
through Medieval Latin pūnctus ‘a point, dot’
Today it means
verb To add punctuation to.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- / punctuate