poing

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pwɛ̃/^[1]

Forms

poing m (plural poings)^[1] Old French puing (about 1050), poign (1080), poing (about 1175, Chrétien de Troyes).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French poing, inherited from Latin pugnus (“fist; handful”).^[5][2][6][7] Rey thinks the Latin word may belong to an Indo-European root also seen in pungō (“to prick”) (see poindre), expressing a blow; the Petit Robert compares Ancient Greek πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist”).^[2][8] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to prick, punch”).^[1]

Cognate with Italian pugno, Spanish puño, Portuguese punho, Catalan puny, Occitan ponh and Romanian pumn.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has puing for the closed hand.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The word also meant the hand in general, a sense now limited to a few phrases, as of the old punishment of cutting off a hand.^[2][4] By the end of the 12th century the fist was a symbol of power, and of force and violence in coup de poing, venir aux poings (1566) and montrer le poing à quelqu'un (1680).^[5][2] In falconry the oiseau de poing (1570) is carried on the fist.^[2][4] Se ronger les poings is in Diderot (1769), and dormir à poings fermés in Balzac (1834).^[2][4]

The derivatives poignée (about 1170) and poignet (1209) are early; poigne “grip” is from 1807, and pognon “dough, money” from 1840.^[2][6]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Puing in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[5]
• 1080 – Poign in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• c. 1175 – Poing, in Chrétien de Troyes.^[4]
• 1566 – Venir aux poings.^[5]
• 1570 – Oiseau de poing.^[2]
• 1680 – Montrer le poing.^[5]
• 1834 – Dormir à poings fermés, in Balzac.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A fist: serrer le poing, un coup de poing.^[8][10]
2. Montrer le poing: to shake one's fist, le poing levé, a raised fist as a salute.^[8]
3. Dormir à poings fermés: to sleep soundly, pieds et poings liés, bound hand and foot.^[8][10]
4. Arme de poing: a handgun or short blade held in the hand.^[11][8]
5. Taper du poing sur la table: to bang one's fist on the table, to assert authority.^[8][11]

Word family

• poigne
• poignée
• poignet
• pognon
• empoigner

Related words

• pugnace
• poignard
• Latin pugnus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 514a
8. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)