Etymologically
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pugno

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpʊŋ.noː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpuɲ.ɲo][1]

Forms

pugnō (present infinitive pugnāre, perfect active pugnāvī, supine pugnātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from pugnus “fist” with the verb suffix -ō, not from pugna “battle”, as the TLL argues, since its first sense is to strike with the fists.[2][1][3] Lewis and Short relate it to a root ⟨pug-⟩ “to thrust”, as in pugil and pungō.[4] An old inscription has the gerund ⟨pucnandōd⟩.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of fighting in battle.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fight in battle, with the adversary in a prepositional phrase or dative, as in Cato, and with an instrumental ablative, as in Caesar.[2] In other contexts it meant to fight, of animals too, and of gladiators and boxers, as in Juvenal.[2] It meant to struggle against a force, of natural forces to clash, as in Lucretius, and of persons to contend in word or action, in a law court or argument, as in Cicero.[2] In Ovid it meant to strive to do something, and of statements to be contradictory.[2] Döderlein explains that pugnāre and cōnflīgere mean to settle a quarrel by force, generally in a mass battle, dīmicāre by arms.[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to fight, do battle.[7] Its adjective pugnāx is the source of English pugnacious.[8]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of battle.[2][5]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it with the adversary.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of fighting outside war.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of contending in argument.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fight in battle.[2]
  2. To fight; to box.[2]
  3. To struggle against.[2]
  4. Of forces or feelings, to clash.[2]
  5. To contend, dispute.[2]
  6. To strive to.[2]
  7. To be contradictory.[2]

Word family

  • appugnō
  • compugnō
  • dēpugnō
  • expugnō
  • impugnō
  • oppugnō
  • prōpugnō
  • pugna
  • pugnāculum
  • pugnātor
  • pugnātōrius
  • pūgnātrīx
  • pugnācitās
  • pugnāciter
  • pugneus
  • pugnicula
  • pugnitus
  • pugnus
  • pungō
  • pugil
  • English pugnacious

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com