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Added 9 October 2026

punish

/ˈpʌnɪʃ/ verb

In Latin: multō, pūniō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about punish at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on.
The students were penalized for showing up late for class

Origin

From Middle English punischen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French puniss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of punir, from Latin puniō (“to inflict punishment upon”), from poena (“punishment, penalty”); see pain. Displaced Old English wītnian and (mostly, in this sense) wrecan.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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