Pugnacious
/pʌɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/noun
Aggressively eager to fight or argue.
Did you know?Pugnacious ultimately traces back to the Latin root pug-, meaning “to fight,” the same ancient root behind words tied to combat and struggle across the Romance languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peuk-
“to prick, poke, or thrust”
Latin
Latin
pugnare
“to fight, contend”
Latin
Latin
pugnax
“combative, quarrelsome”
Late Latin
Latin
pugnaciosus
“inclined to fight”
17th Century
English
pugnacious
“quarrelsome; disposed to fight”
Modern English
English
pugnacious
“aggressively eager to fight or argue”