Pummeled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Struck repeatedly with fists or blows, often in a forceful and continuous manner
2. Hit again and again, typically with strong and quick punches or strikes
3. Delivered a sequence of powerful hits or punches to repeatedly attack something or someone

Etymology: "Pummeled" is the American spelling of "pummelled," a verb built from "pummel," which first appeared in English as a variant of "pommel," the rounded knob on the hilt of a sword. Using the fist or the knob of a weapon to strike someone is where the sense of repeated blows comes from. The base word's older form was "pomel," borrowed from Old French "pomel," meaning a small apple or knob, and ultimately from Latin "pomum," meaning fruit. The spelling "pummel" arose because the verb became associated with the sound of the pounding blows rather than with the sword knob, and the vowel shifted accordingly. The verb's sense of hitting over and over, rather than one blow with a pommel, developed as the word spread through the language. The doubled "l" in British spelling follows the usual pattern for verbs ending in a single vowel plus "l," while American spelling drops the second "l."

Synonyms: beaten, thrashed, pounded, battered, hit

Antonyms: protected, defended