pun

pun

See also: pu·n, Pun, Pun., pún, and pȕn

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: pŭn, IPA^(key): /pʌn/
• Rhymes: -ʌn

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English ponnen, ponen, punen, from Old English punian, pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush, grind”), from Proto-Germanic *punōną (“to break to pieces, pulverize”). See pound. As a kind of word play, from the notion of "beating" the words into place.

Verb

pun (third-person singular simple present puns, present participle punning, simple past and past participle punned)

1. (transitive) To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.
   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i]:

     He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.

2. (intransitive) To make or tell a pun; to make a play on words.

   We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.

Noun

pun (plural puns)

1. A joke or type of wordplay in which similar definitions or sounds of two words or phrases, or different definitions of the same word, are deliberately confused.

   Synonyms: paronomasia, play on words

   Hypernym: joke

   Hyponym: antanaclasis

   • 1814 July, [Jane Austen], chapter VI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] T[homas] Egerton, […], OCLC 39810224, page 124:

     "Certainly, my home at my uncle's brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears, and Vices, I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun, I entreat."

     Austen was likely referring to flogging or spanking, then common naval punishments, known as le vice anglais.

   The pun is the lowest form of wit.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• punacious
• punnily
• punny
• punster
• puntastic
• visual pun

Translations

joke or type of wordplay

Arabic: لَعْبَة اَلْكَلِمَات‎ f (laʿbat al-kalimāt), جِنَاس‎ m (jinās) Armenian: բառախաղ (hy) (baṙaxał) Bulgarian: игрословица (igroslovica), каламбур (bg) m (kalambur) Catalan: joc de paraules (ca) m Chinese: Mandarin: 雙關語／双关语 (zh) (shuāngguānyǔ), 俏皮話／俏皮话 (zh) (qiàopihuà) Czech: slovní hříčka f Danish: ordspil n Dutch: woordspeling (nl) f Esperanto: kalemburo, vortludo Finnish: sanaleikki (fi) French: calembour (fr) m, jeu de mots (fr) m Georgian: კალამბური (ḳalamburi), ზმა (zma) German: Wortspiel (de) n, Kalauer (de) m Hebrew: מִשְׂחַק מִלִּים‎ (misḥáq milím), לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן‎ (he) (lashón nofél 'al lashón) Hungarian: szójáték (hu), szóvicc (hu) Ido: kalemburo (io) Irish: imeartas focal m Italian: gioco di parole m, bisticcio (it) m, freddura (it) f Japanese: 駄洒落 (ダジャレ, だじゃれ, dajare), 洒落 (ja) (シャレ, しゃれ, share), 語呂合わせ (ごろあわせ, goroawase) Korean: 말장난 (ko) (maljangnan) Macedonian: каламбур m (kalambur), игра на зборови f (igra na zborovi) Malay: jenakata Maori: kupu angarua Norwegian: Bokmål: ordspill (no) n Nynorsk: ordspel n Persian: تجنیس‎ (fa) (tajnis), جناس‎ (fa) (jenâs) Polish: gra słów (pl) f, kalambur (pl) m Portuguese: trocadilho (pt) m, chalaça f Romanian: calambur (ro), joc de cuvinte (ro) Russian: каламбу́р (ru) m (kalambúr), игра́ слов (ru) f (igrá slov) Scottish Gaelic: cainnt-chluich f Spanish: juego de palabras (es) m, calambur (es), paronomasia (es) f, doble sentido m, albur (es) m (Mexico) Swedish: ordvits (sv) c, ordlek (sv) c Tagalog: bangkiwi, paritugma, paandar Telugu: శ్లేష (te) (ślēṣa) Turkish: kelime oyunu (tr) Yiddish: ווערטערשפּיל‎ (vertershpil)

Etymology 2

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (“fen”).

Noun

pun (plural puns or pun)

1. (Korean units of measure) Alternative form of bun: a Korean unit of length equivalent to about 0.3 cm.

Anagrams

• N-up, NPU, UPN, nup

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Chuukese

Conjunction

pun

1. because

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Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• puan
• pen (Ragusan dialect)

Etymology

From Latin pānis, pānem.

Noun

pun m

1. (Vegliot) bread

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Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *puhun (compare Malay pohon), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *puqun, from Proto-Austronesian *puqun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pun]

Noun

pun

1. tree (large woody plant)

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Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay pun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpʊn]
• Hyphenation: pun

Adverb

pun

1. also, too

   Synonym: juga

2. even, though, although, nevertheless

   Synonyms: biar, meski, kendati, saja

3. besides
4. any, every

Further reading

• “pun” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

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Malay

Alternative forms

• pon (informal, slang)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /pon/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /pʊn/
• Rhymes: -on
• Rhymes: -un

Adverb

pun (Jawi spelling ڤون‎)

1. also
2. even

Synonyms

• juga

Related terms

• -pun

Descendants

• Indonesian: pun

Further reading

• “pun” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pun]

Verb

pun

1. inflection of pune:
   1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. third-person plural present indicative

Etymology 2

From Latin punicus.

Noun

pun m (plural puni)

1. Punic, Carthaginian

Declension

Declension of pun

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) pun	punul	(niște) puni	punii
genitive/dative	(unui) pun	punului	(unor) puni	punilor
vocative	punule		punilor

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *pьlnъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pílˀnas, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pûn/

Adjective

pȕn (definite pȕnī, Cyrillic spelling пу̏н)

1. full, filled
   • 1980s, Max Vincent AKA Miša Mihajlović (lyrics and music), “Beogradska Devojka”:

     Tako drska i obesna si ti / ti si puna ljubavi

     You are so arrogant and rude / you are full of love

2. fleshy, plump
3. full, complete
4. occupied (of room)

Declension

indefinite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		pun	puna	puno
genitive		puna	pune	puna
dative		punu	punoj	punu
accusative	inanimate animate	pun puna	punu	puno
vocative		pun	puna	puno
locative		punu	punoj	punu
instrumental		punim	punom	punim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		puni	pune	puna
genitive		punih	punih	punih
dative		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)
accusative		pune	pune	puna
vocative		puni	pune	puna
locative		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)
instrumental		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)

definite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		puni	puna	puno
genitive		punog(a)	pune	punog(a)
dative		punom(u/e)	punoj	punom(u/e)
accusative	inanimate animate	puni punog(a)	punu	puno
vocative		puni	puna	puno
locative		punom(e/u)	punoj	punom(e/u)
instrumental		punim	punom	punim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		puni	pune	puna
genitive		punih	punih	punih
dative		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)
accusative		pune	pune	puna
vocative		puni	pune	puna
locative		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)
instrumental		punim(a)	punim(a)	punim(a)

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpun/ [ˈpũn]
• Rhymes: -un
• Syllabification: pun

Noun

pun m (uncountable)

1. (onomatopoeia) the sound of discharging a firearm

   Synonym: pum

2. (onomatopoeia, vulgar) the sound of flatulence

Further reading

• “pun”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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Tausug

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *puqun.

Noun

pūn

1. origin
2. beginning