English word origin

Etymology of punny

From pun + -y, possibly influenced by funny.

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 ↗

adj

Resembling a pun; involving the use of a pun. · Fond of puns. · Funny.

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

From pun + -y, possibly influenced by funny.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pun",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "pun + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pun",
      "pun#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "funny",
      "funny#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Resembling a pun; involving the use of a pun.",
        "Fond of puns.",
        "Funny."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "50d015de0f549082a55d3efe78ee34d2ae1dd822424f60946e40cf2543ed4562",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1516752
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A punishment.

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

Clipping of punishment + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "punishment"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of punishment"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "+ -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "punishment",
      "punishment#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A punishment."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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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 punny →

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-cHVubnk