poignant

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[edit] English

WOTD - 20 March 2008    

[edit] Etymology

From Old French poignant, present participle of poindre (“to prick”), from Latin pungō (“prick”).

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Adjective

poignant (comparative more poignant, superlative most poignant)

  1. (obsolete, of a weapon etc) sharp-pointed; keen.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VII:
      His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].
  2. incisive; penetrating
    His comments were poignant and witty.
  3. neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
    A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
  4. Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving
    Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
  5. (figuratively, of a taste or smell) piquant, pungent
  6. (figuratively, of a look, or of words) piercing
  7. (dated, mostly British) inducing sharp physical pain

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Related terms

[edit] Translations

sharp-pointed; keen
incisive; penetrating
neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
evoking strong mental sensation
piquant; pungent
piercing
inducing sharp physical pain

[edit] References

  • OED 2nd edition 1989
  • Webster Third New International 1986

[edit] French

[edit] Verb

poignant

  1. Present participle of poindre.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=poignant&oldid=16254938"
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