French word

poinçon

Pronunciation

IPA/pwɛ̃sɔ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounpunch

Example

J'ai perdu mon poinçon.

I lost my punch.

Illustration for poinçon (punch)

More examples

Où as-tu mis le poinçon?

Where did you put the punch?

Core concept

A small metal punch with a sharp or hollow tip, driven into material to make a hole or cut out a plug.

Similar words

perceuse: A powered or hand-operated machine that uses a rotating bit to make round holes.
marteau: A heavy hand tool for driving nails or striking objects.
perforatrice: A small hand-operated office tool for making round holes in paper or thin material.

Definition in French

Petit instrument métallique, souvent pointu ou creux, servant à percer ou à découper par choc un petit morceau de matériau.

Word origin

French poinçon developed from Old French ponçon, ultimately from Latin punctio, related to pungere, meaning 'to prick'.

Usage tips

  • Poinçon is masculine, so its usual articles are un poinçon and le poinçon.

Word lists with this word