Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "punch" come from? It comes from Sanskrit pañca, passing through Hindi before entering English (1600s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "punch" come from? It comes from Sanskrit pañca, passing through Hindi before entering English (1600s).
Punch’s story begins in Sanskrit: pañca meant “five.” Meaning "five", for the drink's five ingredients. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as panch. A mixed drink made of five ingredients. It reached English by 1600s as punch. Hindi 'pānch', five, for its five ingredients; East India Company sailors brought it home. Today, punch means a mixed drink made from fruit juice, often combined with alcohol.
- Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient pañca "five", meaning "five", for the drink's five ingredients.
- Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval panch "a five-ingredient drink", a mixed drink made of five ingredients.
- Stage 3 · English · 1600s punch "a mixed fruit and alcohol drink", Hindi 'pānch', five, for its five ingredients; East India Company sailors brought it home.