English
punishment
Punishment comes from Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir ‘to punish’, from Latin pūniō, from poena ‘penalty’ (from Greek ποινή).
- 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‘penalty, fine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment, penalty’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūniōas pūnīre‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punir‘to punish’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400punissement
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punishement
- Englishearliest quotation 2012punishment
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‘penalty, fine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpoena‘punishment, penalty’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūniōas pūnīre‘to punish’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400punir‘to punish’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400punissement
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500punishement
- Englishearliest quotation 2012punishment
Earliest quotation: 2012, John D. Sutter, Welcome to the world’s nicest prison: “But officials here maintain that their methods do make…”
Formed from punish + -ment
Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- ‘to pay’
…
Ancient Greek ποινή ‘fine, ransom, penalty, penance, satisfaction’
Latin poena ‘punishment, penalty’
Latin puniō ‘to inflict punishment upon’
Middle English punischen
English punish
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 punish’
Today it means
noun The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or dissatisfied with the behavior or actions of a child, student, or someone else being looked after.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- / punishment