Etymology

pounce

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Today it means: A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, sprinkled over wet ink to dry the ink after writing or on rough paper to smooth the writing surface. Full definition →

French ponce ← Latin pūmex
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pounce · noun, verb1

  1. Latin · derived frompūmex
  2. French · borrowed fromponce
  3. English todaypounce

From French ponce, from Latin pūmex. Doublet of pumice.

pounce · noun, verb2

  1. Old French · derived fromponchonner
  2. Middle English · inherited frompounce
  3. English todaypounce

From Middle English pounce, probably akin to punch. Possibly from Old French ponchonner (compare French poinçonner).

Words from the same roots

Latinpūmex all →

pumiceponcif

Old Frenchponchonner all →

punch

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.