English
punctus
Punctus comes from Medieval Latin punctus ‘punctuation mark’, from Latin pungō ‘to prick’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘to punch, fist-fight’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpungō‘to prick’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500punctus‘punctuation mark’
- Englishearliest quotation 1993same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pungō‘to prick, sting’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpungō‘to prick’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500punctus‘punctuation mark’
- Englishearliest quotation 1993same form
Earliest quotation: 1993, Malcolm Beckwith Parkes, Pause and Effect: “In the sacerdotal prayers in col. a the punctuation…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘to punch, fist-fight’
fuck, fist, pivot, repugnant, pygmy, impugn, pugnacious, 40 more
through Latin pungō ‘to prick’
point, poignant, pungent, punto, pugilist, compunction, puncheon, 19 more
through Medieval Latin punctus ‘punctuation mark’
Today it means
noun The basic dot (‧) used to end a sentence in medieval punctuation (ancestral to the full stop/period).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- / punctus