Puniest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The least potent or smallest in physical dimensions or strength
2. The most insignificant or weakest in terms of impact or relevance
3. Marked by the least physical strength or dimensions compared to others

Etymology: "Puniest" is the superlative of "puny", and "puny" has one of the more surprising histories in English: it is a respelling of "puisne", a legal term meaning "younger" or "junior". The original French phrase "puis né" meant "born after", with "puis" meaning "after" and "né" meaning "born". Over time, the sense of "younger" slid into "lesser" and then "weak", and English speakers reshaped the spelling to match the sound of the word, so "puisne" became "puny" while the old meaning of inferiority in rank stayed behind. The chain of origin runs back through Old French "pois", from Vulgar Latin "postius", from Latin "posteā", meaning "afterwards", built on "post" ("after"). The second element traces to Latin "nātus" ("born"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to beget".

Synonyms: weakest, smallest, least

Antonyms: strongest, largest