pugnale

Forms

pugnale m (plural pugnali)^[1]

Etymology

Nocentini takes it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *pugnāle, “a weapon held in the fist”, a derivative of Latin pugnus (“fist”);^[2][1] Devoto–Oli, Devoto and Meyer-Lübke also start from a Vulgar Latin noun.^[3][4][5] GRADIT, Sabatini–Coletti and Treccani instead take it as an Italian formation: it is from Italian pugno + -ale, and DELI says only that it is named so because it is held in the fist.^[6][7][8][9] The form Medieval Latin pugnalis is recorded at Rome in 1295, but for an ornament of the wrist, and DELI found pugnalettus (“small dagger”) at Fano in 1508.^[10][9][11] DEI suggests that the weapon and its name came to Italy from Spain, where sword and dagger were the duellists' arms.^[10]

The word is found across the west of the Romance world: Old French poigniel, Old Occitan ponhal, Catalan punyal, Spanish puñal and Portuguese punhal.^[2][5] French poignard (1512) changed the suffix;^[10][2] Meyer-Lübke takes it from the Italian word.^[5] Körting listed it under a Vulgar Latin *pūgiōnālis from Latin pugiō (“dagger”), but accepted Förster's form from the word for “fist” and assumed a crossing of the two;^[12] Meyer-Lübke rejected that form as impossible.^[5]

The Latin word for “fist” continues Proto-Italic *pugnos, from Proto-Indo-European *puǵnos, built on Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to prick, punch”); it is related to pungō (“to prick”) and Ancient Greek πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist”).^[1][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nocentini and GRADIT date the word to the 14th century and Zingarelli before 1472.^[2][6][14] DELI's first record is in Ariosto's Orlando furioso (1516), where the dagger is driven into Rodomonte's forehead: Il ferro del pugnal a Rodomonte / Tutto nascose (“he buried the whole blade of the dagger in Rodomonte”).^[9][15]

Semantic evolution

The derivatives follow soon after: pugnalata “a stab” about 1525 in Pigafetta, pugnaletto in Cellini, pugnalare “to stab” recorded by Oudin in 1640, and pugnalatore in 1871.^[9][10] Pugnalare alle spalle “to stab in the back” is recorded figuratively in 1931.^[10]

The dagger became a figure for a hostile, wounding blow, and Parini called Alfieri's tragedies the work of “the terrible dagger, hater of tyrants”.^[8] In zoology pugnale names each tine branching from the main beam of a deer's antler.^[6][3][8] The word was borrowed into Ottoman Turkish and into Serbo-Croatian pìnjāl.^[1]

Timeline

• 1295 – Medieval Latin pugnalis “wrist ornament” is recorded at Rome.^[10]
• 14th century – First records of pugnale according to Nocentini and GRADIT.^[2][6]
• 1508 – Medieval Latin pugnalettus at Fano.^[9]
• 1512 – French poignard.^[10]
• 1516 – Ariosto uses pugnale in the Orlando furioso.^[9]
• About 1525 – Pugnalata in Pigafetta.^[9]
• 1640 – Pugnalare in Oudin's dictionary.^[9]
• 1871 – Pugnalatore in Tommaseo–Bellini.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A dagger, a short weapon with a pointed, two-edged blade set in a hilt.^[6][3][7]
2. (zoology) A tine, each branch of the main beam of a deer's antler.^[6][3][8]

Word family

• pugnalare
• pugnalata
• pugnalatore
• pugnaletto

Related words

• pugno
• French poignard
• Spanish puñal

Usage notes

An obsolete pugnale “ornament worn at the wrist” goes back to the Medieval Latin pugnalis recorded at Rome in 1295, also from pugno.^[10][16] Lavorare di pugnale is literary for fighting with a blade.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
4. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 352
5. ^ a b c d Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3141
11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
12. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
13. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
14. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
16. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 907