punched

The verb 'punch' entered English in the late 14th century with the meaning 'to prod, to poke,' likely evolving from the Old French word 'poinçonner,' meaning 'to prick, stamp.' This French term derived from 'poinçon,' a pointed tool, tracing back to the Latin 'punctio,' meaning 'a pricking,' from 'pungere,' 'to prick.' The sense of delivering a blow with the fist emerged in the 16th century, metaphorically extending the idea of a sharp, penetrating action. The addition of the regular past tense suffix '-ed,' from Old English '-ode' or '-ade,' completes the word, forming the standard past tense and past participle to describe a completed action of striking, piercing, or pressing.

Structure: punch (to strike, to pierce) + ed (past tense suffix) 'punch' is of uncertain origin, likely a variant of 'pounce' or from a dialectal word. 'ed' is an Old English suffix used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.