Puncture

How to spell puncture

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce puncture

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does puncture mean?

1. nounA small hole made by a sharp object, especially one that lets air out of a tyre.
2. verbTo pierce something with a sharp point, making a hole.

Puncture in a sentence

• noun

  A slow puncture left the front tyre flat by morning.

• verb

  A single nail can puncture a brand new tyre.

• noun

  The nurse cleaned the puncture before applying a small dressing.

• verb

  Sharp gravel on the path can puncture thin running shoes.

Where does puncture come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb pungere, which literally meant 'to prick' or 'to pierce', and from its past participle punctus came the noun punctura, 'a pricking' or 'a small piercing'. English took the word in during the late fourteenth century, originally in a medical and surgical context for the act of pricking the skin. The same pungere root quietly survives in a family of common English words: 'point', 'punctual' (someone who arrives at the precise point in time), 'punctuation' (the little points placed in writing), and even 'poignant' (something that pierces the feelings). The unusual middle is the spelling trap: it is -nct- followed by -ure, not the simpler -cher or -chure that the ear suggests. Remembering its kinship with 'punctual' and 'point' helps anchor that 'punct' core in the mind.

How the word is built

• punct- (from Latin pungere: to prick or pierce)
• -ure (noun-forming suffix)