Meanings
comparative more Punic · superlative most Punic · alternative obsolete Punick
- Of or relating to ancient Carthage, its inhabitants, or their language.
Synonyms: Carthaginian
- ethnicfigurativelyslurPerfidious, treacherous, faithless.
Synonyms: double-dealing, infidelitous, ratlike, booky, dastardly, disleal, disloyal, double-crossing
plural Punics · alternative obsolete Punick
- A native or inhabitant of ancient Carthage; a Carthaginian.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf or relating to ancient Carthage, its inhabitants, or their language.
adjectivePerfidious, treacherous, faithless.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof or relating to or characteristic of ancient Carthage or its people or their language
adjectivetending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Egyptianfnḫw“Asiatics, Semites”
- gmy𐀡𐀛𐀑𐀍
- Ancient GreekΦοῖνιξ
- LatinPūnicus
- EnglishPunic
From Latin Pūnicus, variant of Poenicus, from Poenus + -icus, from Ancient Greek Φοῖνιξ (Phoînix), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀡𐀛𐀑𐀍 (po-ni-ki-jo) under influence from φοινός (phoinós, “crimson red”) owing to its relation to Tyrian purple, apparently from or cognate with Egyptian fnḫw (“Asiatics, Semites”), f:n:x-w-V12:Z2. Equivalent to a modified Phoenician + -ic.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek, gmy
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بُونِي
- بُونِي (būnī)of or relating to ancient Carthage
Bulgarian картагенски, вероломен
- картагенски (kartagenski)of or relating to ancient Carthage
- вероломен (verolomen)treacherous
Czech punský, Kartáginec
- punskýof or relating to ancient Carthage
- Kartáginecnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Punnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
Danish punisk, puner
- puniskof or relating to ancient Carthage
- punernative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- punisklanguage of Carthage
Dutch Punisch, Puniër
- Punischof or relating to ancient Carthage
- Puniërnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Carthagernative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Punischlanguage of Carthage
Finnish petollinen, puunin kieli
- petollinentreacherous
- puunin kielilanguage of Carthage
- puunilanguage of Carthage
French punique, punique
- puniqueof or relating to ancient Carthage
- puniquelanguage of Carthage
Greek καρχηδονιακά
- καρχηδονιακά (karchidoniaká)language of Carthage
Hungarian pun, pun
- punof or relating to ancient Carthage
- punnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- punlanguage of Carthage
Irish Púnais
- Púnaislanguage of Carthage
Italian punico
- punicolanguage of Carthage
Latin lingua Pūnica
- lingua Pūnicalanguage of Carthage
Portuguese púnico, púnico
- púnicoof or relating to ancient Carthage
- púnicotreacherous
- traiçoeirotreacherous
- púnicolanguage of Carthage
- cartaginêslanguage of Carthage
Slovak púnsky, púnska
- púnskyof or relating to ancient Carthage
- púnskaof or relating to ancient Carthage
- púnskeof or relating to ancient Carthage
- Kartáginecnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Púnnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
Spanish púnico, cartaginés
- púnicolanguage of Carthage
- cartaginéslanguage of Carthage
Turkish Kartacalı, Pön
- Kartacalınative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Pönnative or inhabitant of ancient Carthage
- Pöncelanguage of Carthage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Punic
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
Punic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Punic
“Punic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Punic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Punic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Punic.
Source: Punic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.