Punish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpÊŒnɪʃ/

Origin

From Middle English punischen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French puniss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of punir, from Latin puniō, punīre ("to inflict punishment upon"), from poena ("punishment, penalty"); see pain.

Full definition of punish

Verb

1. To cause to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action.
2. To cause great harm to. (a punishing blow)
3. To dumb down severely or to the point of uselessness or near-uselessness.

Synonyms

• (to cause to suffer for crime or misconduct) castigate

Derived terms

• punishable
• punisher (noun)
• punishment (noun)
• telish

Related terms

• pain

Anagrams

• push in, unship