*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Punch

Shortened from Punchinello.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A glove puppet who is the main character used in a Punch and Judy show. · Any butterfly of genus Dodona. · A settlement on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands. · A former British satirical magazine, which took its name from the puppet.

noun

Ellipsis of Suffolk Punch (“a horse of that breed”). · A butterfly of the genus Dodona.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortened from Punchinello.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
    [
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      "Punchinello#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A glove puppet who is the main character used in a Punch and Judy show.",
        "Any butterfly of genus Dodona.",
        "A settlement on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.",
        "A former British satirical magazine, which took its name from the puppet."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "57df3053fe956d0468e0f92496791415d07d11fbc369e6a1b828029b056068c9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c3fe2bb3793303ec6ba364b7a9224e7135ead4adf58708d2b52aedb49cd3b94a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 331735
    },
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Ellipsis of Suffolk Punch (“a horse of that breed”).",
        "A butterfly of the genus Dodona."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "recordId": "95cf286d242836f3ab0a7090419fe709683db38a69f31bc827816d3736008570",
      "rawRecordSha256": "af43701ad2a438fbc622916bc368e0dab5fff5b5f4266d4c59a196686dda81db",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 331736
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of Points.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (surname)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Points",
      "Points#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7e4267ccfffb52cf61ff1722d0873b533d5c87807c96c1fee82bdfde344ef122",
      "rawRecordSha256": "416bff2756cc77c02473425171c4e835ed8f1677b7a67be54301b6be46926fd7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 331737
    }
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Punch →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-UHVuY2g