pun
English
/pʌn/
verb
Definitions
- (transitive) To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.
- (intransitive) To make or tell a pun; to make a play on words.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English ponnen inherited from Old English punian derived from Proto-Germanic *punōną (pulverize, break to pieces).
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*punōną
Gloss
pulverize, break to pieces
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- pun-off English
- punacious English
- punless English
- punlike English
- punnable English
- punnage English
- punner English
- punnery English
- punnily English
- punniness English
- punnology English
- punny English
- punsmith English
- punster English
- puntastic English
- smith English
- *punōną Proto-Germanic
- punian Old English
- ponnen Middle English