Punch noun [ Hind. pānch five, Sanskrit pa ... can . So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five .] A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; -- specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch , claret punch , champagne punch , etc.

Milk punch , a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. -- Punch bowl , a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. -- Roman punch , a punch frozen and served as an ice.

Punch noun [ Abbrev, from punchinello .] The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show.

Punch and Judy , a puppet show in which a comical little hunchbacked Punch, with a large nose, engages in altercation with his wife Judy.

Punch noun [ Prov. E. Confer Punchy .]
1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick.

I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch , which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and short.

Pepys.

2. One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch .

Punch transitive verb [ Middle English punchen , perhaps the same word as English punish : or confer English bunch .] To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.

Punch noun A thrust or blow. [ Colloq.]

Punch noun [ Abbrev. from puncheon .]
1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die.

2. (Pile Driving) An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly.

3. A prop, as for the roof of a mine.

Bell punch . See under Bell . -- Belt punch (Machinery) , a punch, or punch pliers, for making holes for lacings in the ends of driving belts. -- Punch press . See Punching machine , under Punch , intransitive verb -- Punch pliers , pliers having a tubular, sharp- edged steel punch attached to one of the jaws, for perforating leather, paper, and the like.

Punch transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Punched ; present participle & verbal noun Punching .] [ From Punch , noun , a tool; confer French poinçonner .] To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket.

Punching machine , or Punching press , a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; -- called also punch press .

Puncheon noun [ French poinçon awl, bodkin, crown, king-post, from Latin punctio a pricking, from pungere to prick. See Pungent , and confer Punch a tool, Punction .]

1. A figured stamp, die, or punch, used by goldsmiths, cutlers, etc.

2. (Carp.) A short, upright piece of timber in framing; a short post; an intermediate stud. Oxf. Gloss.

3. A split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed; as, a floor made of puncheons . [ U.S.] Bartlett.

4. [ French poinçon , perhaps the same as poinçon an awl.] A cask containing, sometimes 84, sometimes 120, gallons.

Puncher noun One who, or that which, punches.

Punchin noun See Puncheon .

Punchinello noun [ Italian pulcinella , probably originally a word of endearment, dim. of pulcina , pulcino , a chicken, from Latin pullicenus , pullus . See Pullet .] A punch; a buffoon; originally, in a puppet show, a character represented as fat, short, and humpbacked. Spectator.

Punchy adjective [ Perhaps for paunchy , from paunch . See 3d Punch .] Short and thick, or fat.

Punctated, Punctated adjective [ From Latin punctum point. See Point .]
1. Pointed; ending in a point or points.

2. (Nat. Hist.) Dotted with small spots of color, or with minute depressions or pits.

Punctator noun One who marks with points. specifically, one who writes Hebrew with points; -- applied to a Masorite. E. Robinson.

Puncticular adjective Comprised in, or like, a point; exact. [ Obsolete & R.] Sir T. Browne.

Punctiform adjective [ Latin punctum point + -form .] Having the form of a point.

Punctilio (pŭnk*tĭl"yo) noun ; plural Punctilios (- yōz). [ Italian puntiglio , or Spanish puntillo , dim. from Latin punctum point. See Point , noun ] A nice point of exactness in conduct, ceremony, or proceeding; particularity or exactness in forms; as, the punctilios of a public ceremony.

They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.

Fuller.

Punctilious (-yŭs) adjective [ Confer Italian puntiglioso , Spanish puntilloso .] Attentive to punctilio; very nice or exact in the forms of behavior, etiquette, or mutual intercourse; precise; exact in the smallest particulars. "A punctilious observance of divine laws." Rogers. "Very punctilious copies of any letters." The Nation.

Punctilious in the simple and intelligible instances of common life.

I. Taylor.

-- Punc*til"ious*ly , adverb -- Punc*til"ious*ness , noun

Punction noun [ Latin punctio , from pungere , punctum , to prick: confer French ponction . Confer Puncheon .] A puncturing, or pricking; a puncture.

Punctist noun A punctator. E. Henderson.

Puncto noun [ See Punto .]
1. A nice point of form or ceremony. Bacon.

2. A term applied to the point in fencing. Farrow.

Punctual adjective [ French ponctuel (cf. Spanish puntual , Italian puntuale ), from Latin punctum point. See Point .]
1. Consisting in a point; limited to a point; unextended. [ R.] "This punctual spot." Milton.

The theory of the punctual existence of the soul.

Krauth.

2. Observant of nice points; punctilious; precise.

Punctual to tediousness in all that he relates.

Bp. Burnet.

So much on punctual niceties they stand.

C. Pitt.

3. Appearing or done at, or adhering exactly to, a regular or an appointed time; precise; prompt; as, a punctual man; a punctual payment. "The race of the undeviating and punctual sun." Cowper.

These sharp strokes [ of a pendulum], with their inexorably steady intersections, so agree with our successive thoughts that they seem like the punctual stops counting off our very souls into the past.

J. Martineau.

Punctualist noun One who is very exact in observing forms and ceremonies. Milton.

Punctuality noun [ Confer French ponctualité .] The quality or state of being punctual; especially, adherence to the exact time of an engagement; exactness.

Punctually adverb In a punctual manner; promptly; exactly.

Punctualness noun Punctuality; exactness.

Punctuate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Punctuated ; present participle & verbal noun Punctuating .] [ Confer French ponctuer . See Punctual .] To mark with points; to separate into sentences, clauses, etc., by points or stops which mark the proper pauses in expressing the meaning.

Punctuation noun [ Confer French ponctuation .] (Gram.) The act or art of punctuating or pointing a writing or discourse; the art or mode of dividing literary composition into sentences, and members of a sentence, by means of points, so as to elucidate the author's meaning.

» Punctuation , as the term is usually understood, is chiefly performed with four points: the period [ .], the colon [ :], the semicolon [ ;], and the comma [ ,]. Other points used in writing and printing, partly rhetorical and partly grammatical, are the note of interrogation [ ?], the note of exclamation [ !], the parentheses [ ()], the dash [ --], and brackets [ ]. It was not until the 16th century that an approach was made to the present system of punctuation by the Manutii of Venice. With Caxton, oblique strokes took the place of commas and periods.

Punctuative adjective Of or belonging to points of division; relating to punctuation.

The punctuative intonation of feeble cadence.

Rush.

Punctuator noun One who punctuates, as in writing; specifically, a punctator.

Punctuist noun A punctator.

Punctulate, Punctulated adjective [ Latin punctulum , dim. of punctum point.] Marked with small spots.

The studs have their surface punctulated , as if set all over with other studs infinitely lesser.

Woodward.

Punctum noun [ Latin , a point.] A point.