punctual

English

Alternative forms

• punctuall (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin pūnctuālis (“relating to a point”), from Late Latin pūnctus (“point”) + -ālis (adjective suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋktjʊəl/, /ˈpʌŋtjʊəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋkt͡ʃuəl/, /ˈpʌŋt͡ʃuəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

punctual (comparative more punctual, superlative most punctual)

1. Prompt; on time.
   1. Of an event, happening at the appointed time.
   2. Of a person, acting at the appointed time.

      Luis is never late; he's the most punctual person I know.

2. (chiefly mathematics) Existing as a point or series of points.
3. (linguistics) Expressing a momentary action that has no duration.
4. (nonstandard, Euro-English) Periodic; occasional.

   The management of the above mentioned feed sectors is subject to close co-operation with the Member States through […] punctual expert groups meetings where appropriate.

5. (dated) Observing trivial points; punctilious.

Derived terms

• bipunctual
• copunctual
• impunctual
• nonpunctual
• prepunctual
• punctualism
• punctualist
• punctuality
• punctualize
• punctually
• punctualness
• unpunctual

Related terms

• point
• pointwise
• punctilious
• punctuate
• punctuation

Translations

prompt

• Arabic: دَقِيق (ar) (daqīq)
• Armenian: ճշտապահ (hy) (čštapah)
• Asturian: puntual
• Azerbaijani: dəqiq (az)
• Belarusian: пунктуа́льны (punktuálʹny)
• Bulgarian: точен (bg) (točen)
• Catalan: puntual (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 守時 / 守时 (zh) (shǒushí)

• Czech: dochvilný, přesný (cs)
• Danish: punktlig
• Dutch: punctueel (nl), stipt (nl)
• Esperanto: akurata
• Finnish: täsmällinen (fi), ajoissa (fi), säntillinen (fi)
• French: ponctuel (fr)
• Galician: puntual (gl)
• Georgian: პუნქტუალური (ṗunkṭualuri)
• German: pünktlich (de)
• Indonesian: tepat waktu
• Irish: pointeáilte, poncúil
• Italian: puntuale (it)
• Japanese: (verb, attribute) 時間を守る (jikan o mamoru)
• Korean: 시간-을 엄수하는 (sigan-eul eomsuhaneun)
• Manx: traaoil
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: punktlig

• Polish: punktualny (pl)
• Portuguese: pontual (pt)
• Russian: пунктуа́льный (ru) (punktuálʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: pongail
• Spanish: puntual (es)
• Swedish: punktlig (sv)
• Turkish: dakik (tr)
• Ukrainian: пунктуа́льний (punktuálʹnyj)

mathematics: existing as a point or series of points

• Esperanto: punktara sg
• Finnish: pistemäinen (fi)
• French: ponctuel (fr)
• Polish: punktowy

linguistics: expressing momentary action

• Esperanto: momenta sg
• Finnish: punktuaalinen
• Polish: aorystyczny (pl)

periodic; occasional

• Esperanto: perioda sg
• Finnish: ajoittainen (fi)
• French: ponctuel (fr)
• Polish: okazjonalny (pl)

Further reading

• “punctual”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “punctual”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ponctuel. By surface analysis, punct +‎ -ual.

Adjective

punctual m or n (feminine singular punctuală, masculine plural punctuali, feminine/neuter plural punctuale)

1. punctual

Declension

Declension of punctual

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	punctual		punctuală	punctuali	punctuale
	definite	punctualul		punctuala	punctualii	punctualele
genitive- dative	indefinite	punctual		punctuale	punctuali	punctuale
	definite	punctualului		punctualei	punctualilor	punctualelor

Related terms

• punctualitate