puncture

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small hole made by a sharp point

   The thorn left a shallow puncture in her glove.

2. 2
   noun

   a hole in a tire that allows air to escape, or the resulting loss of air

   We stopped to repair a puncture in the bicycle tire.

3. 3
   verb

   to pierce something and make a small hole in it

   A jagged piece of metal could puncture the fuel tank.

4. 4
   noun

   the act or medical procedure of piercing with a pointed instrument

   The doctor cleaned the skin before the lumbar puncture.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Puncture entered English in the late Middle Ages and ultimately derives from Latin punctum, “a small hole made by pricking,” from pungere “to pierce or prick.” It retains the source’s physical sense of a small pierced hole.

From Late Latin punctura ("a pricking"), from Latin punctus, the past participle of pungere ("to prick or pierce"). The same Latin family produced point and pungent.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary