puny

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*pós
2. Proto-Indo-European*pósti
3. Proto-Italic*posti
4. Old Latinposte
5. Latinpost
6. Proto-Indo-European*íh₂
7. Latinea
8. Latinposteā
9. Vulgar Latin*postius
10. Old Frenchpuis
11. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
12. Proto-Indo-European*ǵn̥h₁tós
13. Proto-Italic*gnātos
14. Latingnātus
15. Latinnātus
16. Old Frenchné
17. Old Frenchpuisné
18. Middle Frenchpuisné
19. Englishpuisne
20. English todaypuny

PIE word *pós A respelling of puisne, from Anglo-Norman puisné (“later, more recent; junior; weakly”) [and other forms] and Middle French puisné (“born after (a specified person); younger, youngest; one who is born after (a specified person)”) (modern French puîné (“cadet (born after a sibling); a cadet (someone born after a sibling)”)), from puis (“after; since”) + né (“born”). Puis is derived from Old French pois (“after; since”), from Vulgar Latin *postius (“afterward”), from Latin posteā (“afterwards; hereafter; thereafter; next, then”), from post (“after; since”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pós (“afterwards”)) + ea (“these (things)”); and né from Latin nātus (“born”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. Of inferior significance, size, or strength; ineffective, small, weak.
• from 18th c. (Frequently) ill; poorly, sickly.
• 16th–19th c. Inferior in rank; specifically, of a judge: junior.
• 17th c. Coming later in time; secondary, subsequent.
• 17th–18th c. Not experienced; novice.
• from 16th c. An inferior person; a subordinate; also, an insignificant person.
• 16th–17th c. A younger person; a junior.
• 16th–18th c. A person who is not experienced; a beginner, a novice.