The origin of the word punch, meaning “to hit,” can be traced back to the Old French verb ponchonner, which comes from the root ponchon meaning “piercing weapon.” This root evolved from the Latin word punctionem, the past participle of pungere, meaning “to pierce” (which in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European word pewg, also meaning “pierce”). Interestingly, punch can also refer to a type of juice. Although many assume these meanings are related, they actually have different origins. The term was borrowed in the early seventeenth century from the Hindi word for “five,” panch. This is because when the original punch was introduced to sailors by the British East India Company, it was made with five ingredients: alcohol, water, lemon juice, sugar, and spice. This connection can be traced back to Proto-Indo-Iranian panca and Proto-Indo-European penkwe, both meaning “five.”
