English
punish
Punish comes from Latin puniō ‘to inflict punishment upon’, from Ancient Greek ποινή ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-‘to pay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂‘punishment, vengeance’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινήpoinḗ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment, penalty’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpuniō‘to inflict punishment upon’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punischen
- Englishearliest quotation 1818punish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷey-‘to pay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷoynéh₂‘punishment, vengeance’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷoinā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEποινήpoinḗ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment, penalty’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpuniō‘to inflict punishment upon’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punischen
- Englishearliest quotation 1818punish
Earliest quotation: 1818, William Cobbett, The Parliamentary History of England: “It was not from the want of proper laws…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’
poetry, painful, poem, poet, titanium, painless, whey, onomatopoeia, 21 more
through Ancient Greek ποινή ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
through Latin poena ‘punishment, penalty’
pain, pine, penal, impunity, 5 more
through Latin puniō ‘to inflict punishment upon’
Today it means
verb To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent, teacher, or police officer).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- / punish