Etymologically
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punishment

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English punisshement, borrowed from Anglo-Norman punisement, punissement,[2][3][4] from punir “to punish” (see punish) and the suffix -ment,[2][5][6] the stem puniss- coming from Latin pūnīre.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of punishing or the fact of being punished: 1292 in the OED;[7] in Etymonline the late 14th century, in law, the inflicting of pain, loss or confinement on someone for an offence.[2]

Semantic evolution

The suffering or hardship inflicted as punishment is from the early 15th century, and a penalty or sentence imposed from the mid-15th.[2] Gradually the word was extended to pain or injury in general.[2] Rough handling is from 1811, first of the blows a prizefighter landed on an opponent,[2][7] and of materials or machinery subjected to hard use from 1930.[7] In psychology an unpleasant consequence used to shape behaviour is from 1907.[7][3] In the West Riding of Yorkshire punishment was also a repeated attempt to dye a piece of cloth.[8]

Timeline

  • 1292 – the act of punishing.[7]
  • mid-15th century – a penalty or sentence.[2]
  • 1811 – rough handling, in boxing.[2][7]
  • 1907 – in psychology.[7]
  • 1930 – hard use of machinery.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A penalty imposed for a crime or other wrongdoing: capital punishment.
  2. The act of punishing, or the state of being punished; retribution.
  3. (informal) Rough treatment or hard use: the car took a lot of punishment.
  4. (psychology) An unpleasant stimulus used to discourage a response in training.

Word family

  • nonpunishment
  • overpunishment
  • self-punishment
  • capital punishment
  • impunity
  • punishable
  • punishing
  • punitive
  • punitory
  • punish
  • penal
  • penalty
  • pain

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)