pounce

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paʊns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊns

Etymology 1

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

Noun

pounce (usually uncountable, plural pounces)

1. (historical) A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, sprinkled over wet ink to dry the ink after writing.
2. (historical) Charcoal dust, or some other coloured powder for making patterns through perforated designs, used by embroiderers, lace makers, etc.

Translations

powder thrown onto the paper to make the ink dry

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hiekka (fi) (literally “sand”), sandarakki (literally “sandarac”)
• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: Löschsand m, Schreibsand m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: σήπιον n (sḗpion)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: margajita f (because one used pyrite or marcasite for it)
• Swedish: please add this translation if you can

Verb

1. (transitive) To sprinkle or rub with pounce powder.

   to pounce paper, or a pattern

Etymology 2

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English, probably akin to punch. Possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French ponchonner (compare French poinçonner).

Noun

pounce (plural pounces)

1. A sudden leaping attack.
   • 1999, Niki Anderson, Inspurrrational Stories for Cat Lovers:

     Again the cat jolted the bed with a pounce.

2. The claw or talon of a bird of prey.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Burke to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

3. A punch or stamp.
   • Withals

     a pounce to print money with

4. Cloth worked in eyelet holes.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Homilies to this entry?)

Verb

1. (intransitive) To leap into the air intending to seize someone or something.

   The kitten pounced at the ball I threw to it.

   She pounced on the young man, because she loved him and wanted him for herself.

2. (intransitive) To attack suddenly by leaping.

   I was awakened from a dead sleep by my child pouncing on top of me from out of nowhere.

3. (intransitive) To eagerly seize an opportunity.

   I pounced on the chance to get promoted.

   While he was out of town on vacation, I pounced, leaking the photos.

   Why would I talk to the press and give them a chance to pounce on me?

   • 2011 March 2, Chris Whyatt, “Arsenal 5 - 0 Leyton Orient”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Irish debutant Conor Henderson - another ball-playing midfielder - probed for a gap through the back-line and the 19-year-old's deflected pass was pounced on by Tomas Rosicky, who sped to the byeline to clip a square ball through the legs of Charlie Daniels across the box.

4. (transitive) To strike or seize with the talons; to pierce, as with the talons.
   • (Can we date this quote by Cowper and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Stooped from his highest pitch to pounce a wren.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Fletcher (playwright) and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Now pounce him lightly, / And as he roars and rages, let's go deeper.

5. (transitive) To stamp holes in; to perforate.

Synonyms

• (instance of propelling oneself into air): leap, jump, bounce
• (instance of causing oneself to fall from an elevated place): strike, attack

Translations

To leap into the air intending to seize someone or something

• Dutch: opspringen (nl)
• Esperanto: alsalti
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐπιπηδάω (epipēdáō)

• Hungarian: nyakába ugrik
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: dar o bote
• Spanish: brincar (es)
• Tagalog: sagpangin

To attack suddenly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 突襲／突袭 (zh) (tūxí), 突袭 (zh) (tūxí, túxí)

• Dutch: bespringen (nl)
• Finnish: syöksyä jonkin kimppuun, iskeä kyntensä johonkin
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: fondre sur (fr)
• German: überfallen (de), angreifen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐπιπηδάω (epipēdáō)

• Portuguese: dar o bote
• Spanish: atacar (es)

To eagerly seize an opportunity

• Dutch: grijpen (nl)
• Finnish: tarttua tilaisuuteen
• Hungarian: lecsap (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: بل گرفتن (fa) (bol gereftan)
• Portuguese: dar o bote
• Spanish: aprovechar (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} abalanzarse
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

References

• “pounce”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Cupeño