Pounce
/paʊns/noun
To spring or leap suddenly on something, or to seize and attack quickly.
Did you know?English pounce is ultimately tied to a word for a perforated bag or powder-puff-like pouch, and the same root also gave us the idea of a pouch—proof that even attack-words can grow out of everyday containers.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
pouncen
“To strike or seize suddenly; also to prick or puncture.”
Middle French
Old French
poncer
“To prickle, puncture, or perforate; also to dust or powder with pounce.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
punctiare
“To prick or pierce repeatedly.”
Latin
Latin
punctum
“A point; a prick; something pierced.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peuk-
“To prick, pierce, or stick.”