Poundstone

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, best known through the American stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone
2. An English-derived surname borne by people such as the American comedian Paula Poundstone, known for wit and quick banter
3. A surname carried by various people, most famously the American comic Paula Poundstone, who is known for her improvised humor

Etymology: "Poundstone" is an English family surname, and it is built from two plain English words: "pound" and "stone." The source identifies it as a calque, meaning a word-for-word translation, of German "Pfundstein," where "Pfund" means "pound" and "Stein" means "stone." Read literally, the name means "pound stone." The name is therefore a translated borrowing rather than a native English coinage. Its meaning is best understood as a descriptive name, in the way many surnames describe a place, trade, or object, and the two components keep their ordinary senses when put together.