Punctual

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpʌŋktjʊəl/

Definitions

1. Being on time for events or appointments is essential Regularly meeting time commitments indicates responsibility The trait of being prompt reflects reliability and respect for others' time
2. Consistently arriving or doing something exactly at the appointed or agreed time
3. Marked by timely appearance or action without delay or lateness

Etymology: The original sense of "punctual" was geometric. Its Late Latin root "punctus" meant "point," the sort you could prick with a needle, and Medieval Latin "punctualis" described something relating to a point. English took the word from that scholarly Latin, so a punctual thing was, at first, one concerned with points rather than with the clock. The jump to timekeeping came later, as the idea of a precise moment in time took hold. A point could be a fixed location, and a fixed location could be a fixed instant, so "punctual" slid from marking a spot in space to marking an exact moment. Arriving on time is, in effect, arriving at the right point on the timeline.

Synonyms: on time, prompt, timely, reliable, dependable

Antonyms: late, tardy, delayed, unreliable, sluggish