punch

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A hard hit with the fist.

   The boxer landed a powerful punch on his opponent's jaw.

2. 2
   verb

   To hit someone or something hard with your fist.

   He got angry and punched the wall.

3. 3
   noun

   A cold drink made by mixing fruit juices, often with alcohol, served at parties.

   I drank some fruit punch at the party.

4. 4
   noun

   A tool for making holes in paper, leather, or other material.

   I used a punch to make a new hole in my belt.

5. 5
   verb

   To make a hole in something using a tool or by force.

   She punched two holes in the sheet of paper to put it in the folder.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Punch meaning “strike” first meant “puncture or prod” and ultimately shares its source with point and poignant; the name of the hole-making tool probably developed from this sense. The drink name, recorded in English in 1600, is unrelated: it came through Hindi from Sanskrit pañca “five,” referring to its original five ingredients.

From Middle English punchen, partially from Old French ponchonner (“to punch”), from ponchon (“pointed tool”), from Latin punctio, from punctus, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick”); and partially from Middle English punchen, a syncopated variant of punischen ("to punish"; see punish). Also influenced by Middle English punchon ("a punch"; see puncheon). Compare also Middle English bunchen, bonchen (“to punch, deliver a blow, pound, beat”).

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary