poignantadj.

Brit.

/ˈpɔɪnjənt/, U.S.

/ˈpɔɪn(j)ənt/

Forms: Middle English peynant, Middle English poignaunt, Middle English poignaunte, Middle English ponyaunt, Middle English ponyawnt, Middle English poyant (transmission error), Middle English poyngnant, Middle English pugnaunt, Middle English punyant, Middle English pynant, Middle English–1500s poynaunt, Middle English–1700s poinant, Middle English–1700s poynant, 1500s poynaunte, 1500s pugnant, 1500s– poignant, 1600s peinant; N.E.D (1907) also records a form late Middle English poygnaunt.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French poignant.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman poignant, pognant, puinnant, poynaunt, poynant, puignant and Middle French poignant (French poignant ) sharp, pointed, prickly, biting, stinging, jagged, (in figurative use) wounding, cruel, piercing, penetrating, harsh, sharp tasting (12th cent. in Anglo-Norman and Old French), use as adjective of present participle of poindre (also peindre , puindre ) to pierce, prick, spur < classical Latin pungere punge v. Compare Old Occitan ponhen bold, aggressive, cruel. Compare later pungent adj.The forms peynant , peinant (see quots. c1390 at sense 2a, 1651 at sense 2a) apparently show a variant of the present word, perhaps by association with Middle French, French peiner pain v.; they could alternatively be taken as showing an independent borrowing of Middle French, French peinant, use as noun of the present participle of peiner. Earlier currency of the Anglo-Norman word is probably implied by surname evidence (compare Poingiant, Pugnant, Puignant, Puinant, Puinnant, Puingiand, Puingiant, Pungiant, Puniant, Punat, all 11th cent.). N.E.D. (1907) gives the pronunciation (poi·nănt) /ˈpɔɪnənt/. Pronunciation with /-nə-/ in the second syllable in this and the related nouns and adverb is usual in dictionaries until the early 20th cent., after which U.S. dictionaries additionally give the pronunciation with /-njə-/; this seems to be first noted by British dictionaries in the mid-20th cent., though Walker in his introductory discussion mentions a pronunciation poiniant. All editions of D. Jones Eng. Pronouncing Dict. up to 1988 record also forms with /-ɡnə-/.

1. Sharp, pungent, piquant to the taste or smell. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fetor > [adjective]

foul-stinkingOE

poignantc1387

rammishc1395

rank1479

reekya1500

puanta1529

unsavoury1539

uglyc1540

contagious1547

noisome1559

fulsome1576

fetid1599

nasty1601

unsweet1605

rammy1607

stenchful1615

stinkardly1616

rancid1627

reeking1629

pungent1644

olidous1646

stenching1654

graveolent1657

maleolent1657

virous1661

olid1680

ranciduous1688

feculent1703

virose1756

stenchy1757

infragrant1813

inodorous1823

nosy1836

malodorous1850

unfragrant1858

smelly1862

cacodorous1863

stinky1888

funked out1893

niffya1903

whiffy1905

pongy1936

fresh1966

minging1970

bogging1973

bowfing1983

honking1985

the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [adjective] > pungent

sharpc1000

hotc1175

poignantc1387

keen1398

angryc1400

eager?c1400

tartc1405

argutec1420

mordicative?a1425

mordificative?a1425

piperinea1425

pungitive?a1425

pikea1475

vehement1490

oversharpa1500

over-stronga1500

penetrating?1576

penetrative1578

quick1578

piercing1593

exalted1594

mordicant1603

acute1620

toothed1628

pungent1644

piquant1645

tartarous1655

mordacious1657

piperate1683

peppery1684

tartish1712

hyperoxide1816

snell1835

mordanta1845

shrill1864

piperitious1890

c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 352 Wo was his cook but if his sauce were Poynaunt [v.rr. Poynant, Punyant] and sharp.

c1450 Contin. Lydgate's Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1949 Wyn..Ponyaunt [v.r. Poyant], delectable, sharp in savour.

c1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert (1910) 93 (MED) He wold eke þat þe smal seed of mustard schuld be al to-broken, whech schuld be þe mor poynaunt aftir þat grindyng.

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. ii. sig. D3 Drest with an exquisite, and poynant sauce.

1672 H. Herbert Narr. in Camden Misc. (1990) XXX. 353 We can scarce eat for want of poynant sauce.

1728 E. Young Love of Fame: Universal Passion (ed. 2) vi. 44 Those charms are greatest which decline the sight, That makes the banquet poignant and polite.

1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. i. vi. 36 We can neither see the largest Object, hear the loudest Noise, nor smell the most poignant Perfume.

a1825 A. L. Barbauld Legacy for Young Ladies (1826) 113 How fragrant with smells! how rich with tastes,—luscious, poignant, sapid, mild, pungent, or saccharine!

1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters 237 A laboratory of poignant scents.

1957 L. Durrell Justine ii. 134 By the bed the rich poignant scent of her powder hanging heavy in the bed-curtains.

1998 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 5 Dec. b1 The winery warmed, and the poignant smell of splattered grapes and yeast came alive.

a. Originally: painfully sharp to the physical or mental feelings, as hunger, thirst, a pang, an affront, etc.; also said of a state of feeling, as grief, regret, or despair. Later, chiefly of a mental or emotional experience or condition: regretful or painful, sometimes in a pleasurable way; tenderly sorrowful, bitter-sweet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > [adjective] > relating to agony or torment > causing agony or torment

sharpc1000

grievousc1290

smartc1300

fellc1330

unsufferablea1340

keena1375

poignantc1390

rending?c1400

furiousc1405

stoutc1425

unbearablec1449

agonizing1570

tormenting1575

cruciable1578

raging1590

tormentuous1597

pungent1598

racking1598

acute1615

wrenching1618

excruciating1664

grinding1681

excruciate1773

discruciating1788

unendurable1801

of bare sufferance1823

perialgic1893

c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 130 This sorwe shal been..heuy and greuous and ful sharp and poynaunt [v.rr. peynant; prikynge] in herte.

1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. 4 The last affront was from France, that more fresh in memory, and more peinant [1682 (ed. 3) poinant].

1728 E. Haywood tr. M.-A. de Gomez Belle Assemblée (1732) II. 10 This final Answer threw the King of Portugal into the most poinant Despair.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iii. 61 Our recent calamity, which had humbled my wife's pride, and blunted it by more poignant afflictions.

1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 28 Dec. 299 Those rare excellencies, which make one grief poignant.

1881 D. G. Rossetti House of Life ii Creature of poignant thirst And exquisite hunger.

1887 J. R. Lowell Democracy & Other Addr. 48 This pang is made more poignant by exile.

1912 A. F. G. Bell In Portugal i. 7 The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist..; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness.

1978 P. Audemars Now Dead is any Man 102 He saw once again in his mindsight, with vivid and poignant clarity, some of that tranquil peace.

1994 This Country Canada Spring 65/2 Poignant memories of his father, whose painful boyhood..rendered him incapable of discussing his past.

b. Stimulating to the mind, feelings, or passions; pleasantly or delightfully piquant. Now rare except as merged in later use of 2a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > [adjective] > piquantly exciting

piquant1645

poignanta1657

French1682

flavorous1697

zested1769

zestful1797

pungent1850

spicy1853

zesty1853

juicy1883

nutty1894

sauced1894

colourful1905

zappy1969

a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V ccclxvi, in Poems (1878) IV. 192 Better rellish, [which] in this poynant State Might give an Edge to Witt, at less expence.

1668 H. More Divine Dialogues ii. 220 That our Delights thereby may become more poinant and triumphant.

1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 206 In a style of waywardness so prettily put on, and managed, as to render it..ten times more poignant.

1772 G. Morris in J. Sparks Life G. Morris (1832) I. 17 Those poignant joys, which are the lot of the affluent.

1812 I. D'Israeli Calam. Auth. II. 189 There is a poignant delight in study, often subversive of human happiness.

1860 N. Hawthorne Marble Faun II. xviii. 202 Sensible of a more poignant felicity than he had yet experienced.

1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island xl. 319 Anne stood under the willows, tasting the poignant sweetness of life when some great dread has been removed from it.

c. Arousing or expressing deep emotions, esp. of sorrow or regret; keenly or deeply moving or affecting; (now esp. of art, literature, etc.) evoking a sense of sorrowful tenderness; touching.In early use not clearly distinguished from sense 2a.

ΚΠ

a1763 T. Godfrey Juvenile Poems (1765) 69 She dropt fresh tears, and heav'd some poignant sighs.

1795 E. Fenwick Secresy II. 23 I..found my Arabella pining under the accumulated distresses of extreme poverty, destroyed reputation, and a consumptive habit: all which miseries were rendered doubly poignant by the possession of an infant.

1875 Times 22 Apr. 12/3 The poignant accents and despairing gestures with which the wronged Amina tries vainly to persuade her lover of her innocence.

1898 Times 6 Oct. 4/1 The voice of the defeated king is supported by the choir in a movement of such poignant expression and such sincerely-felt emotion.

1920 E. Wharton Age of Innocence xxi. 208 She remained in his memory simply as the most plaintive and poignant of a line of ghosts.

1937 Dict. National Biogr. 1922–30 s.v. Murry, Kathleen Her letters and journals describe her physical and spiritual conflict in poignant detail.

1956 A. J. Cronin Crusader's Tomb 205 There was in this composition such a fusion of sadness and dignity, so poignant an expression of the soul of oppressed and suffering humanity.

1972 A. Bowness Mod. European Art iii. 70 The flame-like forms of the cypress trees and the undulations of the corn swept by the wind combined to make an irresistibly poignant image.

2000 A. Sayle Barcelona Plates 23 The bit was funny and poignant by turns and a certainty for a BAFTA award.

†3. Of a weapon or other pointed object: sharp-pointed, piercing. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > sharpness of edge or point > [adjective] > of point > having a sharp point

trenchantc1330

poignanta1425

well-pointedc1425

sharp-pointed1597

jaggy1849

a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 1879 The God of Love an arowe tok; Ful sharp it was and pugnaunt.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 408 Ponyawnt, acutus, acer.

1567 G. Turberville tr. Ovid Heroycall Epist. 69^v Poynant hornes of fell and yrefull Bulles.

1595 B. Barnes Divine Cent. Spirituall Sonnets lxxxvi. sig. G1^v That poignant thorne Of wraths fel passion, furious and forlorne.

1624 J. Gee Hold Fast 51 This weapon, being made so poinant and deadly, that it would pearce..reasonable good armour.

1695 J. Edwards Disc. conc. Old & New-Test. III. vii. 339 They were dispatch'd themselves by a more poinant Stroke.

†4. Of elements, features, attributes, etc.: sharp, piercing, keen. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > a look or glance > [adjective] > piercing

poignant?a1439

sharp1535

narrow1587

searching1597

scanning1863

a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iii. 4050 (MED) Tungis double and deceyuable..with ther venym infect ech companye, Ther poynaunt poisoun is so penetrable.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xl. 1077 Using all the forcible meanes hee possibly could devise,..to give a poinant edge to their courage and choler.

1737 J. Thomson To Mem. Ld. Talbot 2 How from the Diamond single out each Ray, That, tho' they tremble with ten thousand Hues, Effuse one poignant undivided Light?

1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen To Rdr. p. xix Jeffery was not so slim, nor was his eye so poignant.

1820 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) II. v. 120 Jeffrey has a singular expression—poignant, bitter, piercing—as if his countenance never lit up but at the perception of some weakness in human nature.

†5. Of words or expressions: sharp, stinging; severe; (also) pleasantly keen or pointed, piquant. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [adjective] > poignant

poignant?1473

aigre-doux1523

agrodolce1833

?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) II. lf. 326^v Eneas..answered to the kynge wordes sharpe and poynant ynowhe.

a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Newberry) 200 Poignaunte [c1475 Univ. Oxf. bytinge; Fr. poignant; a1500 Rawl. There restith in the egir and prignaunte wourdis of detraccion ayeinst them].

1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes iii, in Wks. 224/2 Your wordes..be somewhat pugnant and sharpe.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 270^v With these sharpe & poynaunte woordes he clene putte awaye y^e fearefull trembleyng of all the legions.

1668 J. Dryden Of Dramatick Poesie 69 Quick and poynant brevity.

1678 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer (ed. 2) iii. i Poinant and sower Invectives.

1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 208 Witticisms which you think so delicate and poignant.

1773 H. Chapone Lett. Improvem. Mind I. 157 A witty repartee, or a stroke of poignant raillery.

1823 C. Lamb Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist in Elia 75 Her illustrations were apposite and poignant.

1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. iii. i. 248 Poignant sarcasm.

1896 Times 23 Oct. 10/1 The search for the telling, the poignant phrase is instinctive.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	poignant
释义	poignantadj. Brit. /ˈpɔɪnjənt/, U.S. /ˈpɔɪn(j)ənt/ Forms: Middle English peynant, Middle English poignaunt, Middle English poignaunte, Middle English ponyaunt, Middle English ponyawnt, Middle English poyant (transmission error), Middle English poyngnant, Middle English pugnaunt, Middle English punyant, Middle English pynant, Middle English–1500s poynaunt, Middle English–1700s poinant, Middle English–1700s poynant, 1500s poynaunte, 1500s pugnant, 1500s– poignant, 1600s peinant; N.E.D (1907) also records a form late Middle English poygnaunt. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French poignant. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman poignant, pognant, puinnant, poynaunt, poynant, puignant and Middle French poignant (French poignant ) sharp, pointed, prickly, biting, stinging, jagged, (in figurative use) wounding, cruel, piercing, penetrating, harsh, sharp tasting (12th cent. in Anglo-Norman and Old French), use as adjective of present participle of poindre (also peindre , puindre ) to pierce, prick, spur < classical Latin pungere punge v. Compare Old Occitan ponhen bold, aggressive, cruel. Compare later pungent adj.The forms peynant , peinant (see quots. c1390 at sense 2a, 1651 at sense 2a) apparently show a variant of the present word, perhaps by association with Middle French, French peiner pain v.; they could alternatively be taken as showing an independent borrowing of Middle French, French peinant, use as noun of the present participle of peiner. Earlier currency of the Anglo-Norman word is probably implied by surname evidence (compare Poingiant, Pugnant, Puignant, Puinant, Puinnant, Puingiand, Puingiant, Pungiant, Puniant, Punat, all 11th cent.). N.E.D. (1907) gives the pronunciation (poi·nănt) /ˈpɔɪnənt/. Pronunciation with /-nə-/ in the second syllable in this and the related nouns and adverb is usual in dictionaries until the early 20th cent., after which U.S. dictionaries additionally give the pronunciation with /-njə-/; this seems to be first noted by British dictionaries in the mid-20th cent., though Walker in his introductory discussion mentions a pronunciation poiniant. All editions of D. Jones Eng. Pronouncing Dict. up to 1988 record also forms with /-ɡnə-/. 1. Sharp, pungent, piquant to the taste or smell. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fetor > [adjective] foul-stinkingOE poignantc1387 rammishc1395 rank1479 reekya1500 puanta1529 unsavoury1539 uglyc1540 contagious1547 noisome1559 fulsome1576 fetid1599 nasty1601 unsweet1605 rammy1607 stenchful1615 stinkardly1616 rancid1627 reeking1629 pungent1644 olidous1646 stenching1654 graveolent1657 maleolent1657 virous1661 olid1680 ranciduous1688 feculent1703 virose1756 stenchy1757 infragrant1813 inodorous1823 nosy1836 malodorous1850 unfragrant1858 smelly1862 cacodorous1863 stinky1888 funked out1893 niffya1903 whiffy1905 pongy1936 fresh1966 minging1970 bogging1973 bowfing1983 honking1985 the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [adjective] > pungent sharpc1000 hotc1175 poignantc1387 keen1398 angryc1400 eager?c1400 tartc1405 argutec1420 mordicative?a1425 mordificative?a1425 piperinea1425 pungitive?a1425 pikea1475 vehement1490 oversharpa1500 over-stronga1500 penetrating?1576 penetrative1578 quick1578 piercing1593 exalted1594 mordicant1603 acute1620 toothed1628 pungent1644 piquant1645 tartarous1655 mordacious1657 piperate1683 peppery1684 tartish1712 hyperoxide1816 snell1835 mordanta1845 shrill1864 piperitious1890 c1387–95 G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. 352 Wo was his cook but if his sauce were Poynaunt [v.rr. Poynant, Punyant] and sharp. c1450 Contin. Lydgate's Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1949 Wyn..Ponyaunt [v.r. Poyant], delectable, sharp in savour. c1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert (1910) 93 (MED) He wold eke þat þe smal seed of mustard schuld be al to-broken, whech schuld be þe mor poynaunt aftir þat grindyng. 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. ii. sig. D3 Drest with an exquisite, and poynant sauce. View more context for this quotation 1672 H. Herbert Narr. in Camden Misc. (1990) XXX. 353 We can scarce eat for want of poynant sauce. 1728 E. Young Love of Fame: Universal Passion (ed. 2) vi. 44 Those charms are greatest which decline the sight, That makes the banquet poignant and polite. 1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. i. vi. 36 We can neither see the largest Object, hear the loudest Noise, nor smell the most poignant Perfume. View more context for this quotation a1825 A. L. Barbauld Legacy for Young Ladies (1826) 113 How fragrant with smells! how rich with tastes,—luscious, poignant, sapid, mild, pungent, or saccharine! 1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters 237 A laboratory of poignant scents. 1957 L. Durrell Justine ii. 134 By the bed the rich poignant scent of her powder hanging heavy in the bed-curtains. 1998 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 5 Dec. b1 The winery warmed, and the poignant smell of splattered grapes and yeast came alive. 2. a. Originally: painfully sharp to the physical or mental feelings, as hunger, thirst, a pang, an affront, etc.; also said of a state of feeling, as grief, regret, or despair. Later, chiefly of a mental or emotional experience or condition: regretful or painful, sometimes in a pleasurable way; tenderly sorrowful, bitter-sweet. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > [adjective] > relating to agony or torment > causing agony or torment sharpc1000 grievousc1290 smartc1300 fellc1330 unsufferablea1340 keena1375 poignantc1390 rending?c1400 furiousc1405 stoutc1425 unbearablec1449 agonizing1570 tormenting1575 cruciable1578 raging1590 tormentuous1597 pungent1598 racking1598 acute1615 wrenching1618 excruciating1664 grinding1681 excruciate1773 discruciating1788 unendurable1801 of bare sufferance1823 perialgic1893 c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 130 This sorwe shal been..heuy and greuous and ful sharp and poynaunt [v.rr. peynant; prikynge] in herte. 1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. 4 The last affront was from France, that more fresh in memory, and more peinant [1682 (ed. 3) poinant]. 1728 E. Haywood tr. M.-A. de Gomez Belle Assemblée (1732) II. 10 This final Answer threw the King of Portugal into the most poinant Despair. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. iii. 61 Our recent calamity, which had humbled my wife's pride, and blunted it by more poignant afflictions. 1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 28 Dec. 299 Those rare excellencies, which make one grief poignant. 1881 D. G. Rossetti House of Life ii Creature of poignant thirst And exquisite hunger. 1887 J. R. Lowell Democracy & Other Addr. 48 This pang is made more poignant by exile. 1912 A. F. G. Bell In Portugal i. 7 The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist..; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness. 1978 P. Audemars Now Dead is any Man 102 He saw once again in his mindsight, with vivid and poignant clarity, some of that tranquil peace. 1994 This Country Canada Spring 65/2 Poignant memories of his father, whose painful boyhood..rendered him incapable of discussing his past. b. Stimulating to the mind, feelings, or passions; pleasantly or delightfully piquant. Now rare except as merged in later use of 2a. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > [adjective] > piquantly exciting piquant1645 poignanta1657 French1682 flavorous1697 zested1769 zestful1797 pungent1850 spicy1853 zesty1853 juicy1883 nutty1894 sauced1894 colourful1905 zappy1969 a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V ccclxvi, in Poems (1878) IV. 192 Better rellish, [which] in this poynant State Might give an Edge to Witt, at less expence. 1668 H. More Divine Dialogues ii. 220 That our Delights thereby may become more poinant and triumphant. 1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 206 In a style of waywardness so prettily put on, and managed, as to render it..ten times more poignant. 1772 G. Morris in J. Sparks Life G. Morris (1832) I. 17 Those poignant joys, which are the lot of the affluent. 1812 I. D'Israeli Calam. Auth. II. 189 There is a poignant delight in study, often subversive of human happiness. 1860 N. Hawthorne Marble Faun II. xviii. 202 Sensible of a more poignant felicity than he had yet experienced. 1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island xl. 319 Anne stood under the willows, tasting the poignant sweetness of life when some great dread has been removed from it. c. Arousing or expressing deep emotions, esp. of sorrow or regret; keenly or deeply moving or affecting; (now esp. of art, literature, etc.) evoking a sense of sorrowful tenderness; touching.In early use not clearly distinguished from sense 2a. ΚΠ a1763 T. Godfrey Juvenile Poems (1765) 69 She dropt fresh tears, and heav'd some poignant sighs. 1795 E. Fenwick Secresy II. 23 I..found my Arabella pining under the accumulated distresses of extreme poverty, destroyed reputation, and a consumptive habit: all which miseries were rendered doubly poignant by the possession of an infant. 1875 Times 22 Apr. 12/3 The poignant accents and despairing gestures with which the wronged Amina tries vainly to persuade her lover of her innocence. 1898 Times 6 Oct. 4/1 The voice of the defeated king is supported by the choir in a movement of such poignant expression and such sincerely-felt emotion. 1920 E. Wharton Age of Innocence xxi. 208 She remained in his memory simply as the most plaintive and poignant of a line of ghosts. 1937 Dict. National Biogr. 1922–30 s.v. Murry, Kathleen Her letters and journals describe her physical and spiritual conflict in poignant detail. 1956 A. J. Cronin Crusader's Tomb 205 There was in this composition such a fusion of sadness and dignity, so poignant an expression of the soul of oppressed and suffering humanity. 1972 A. Bowness Mod. European Art iii. 70 The flame-like forms of the cypress trees and the undulations of the corn swept by the wind combined to make an irresistibly poignant image. 2000 A. Sayle Barcelona Plates 23 The bit was funny and poignant by turns and a certainty for a BAFTA award. †3. Of a weapon or other pointed object: sharp-pointed, piercing. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > sharpness of edge or point > [adjective] > of point > having a sharp point trenchantc1330 poignanta1425 well-pointedc1425 sharp-pointed1597 jaggy1849 a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 1879 The God of Love an arowe tok; Ful sharp it was and pugnaunt. Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 408 Ponyawnt, acutus, acer. 1567 G. Turberville tr. Ovid Heroycall Epist. 69^v Poynant hornes of fell and yrefull Bulles. 1595 B. Barnes Divine Cent. Spirituall Sonnets lxxxvi. sig. G1^v That poignant thorne Of wraths fel passion, furious and forlorne. 1624 J. Gee Hold Fast 51 This weapon, being made so poinant and deadly, that it would pearce..reasonable good armour. 1695 J. Edwards Disc. conc. Old & New-Test. III. vii. 339 They were dispatch'd themselves by a more poinant Stroke. †4. Of elements, features, attributes, etc.: sharp, piercing, keen. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > a look or glance > [adjective] > piercing poignant?a1439 sharp1535 narrow1587 searching1597 scanning1863 a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iii. 4050 (MED) Tungis double and deceyuable..with ther venym infect ech companye, Ther poynaunt poisoun is so penetrable. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xl. 1077 Using all the forcible meanes hee possibly could devise,..to give a poinant edge to their courage and choler. 1737 J. Thomson To Mem. Ld. Talbot 2 How from the Diamond single out each Ray, That, tho' they tremble with ten thousand Hues, Effuse one poignant undivided Light? 1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen To Rdr. p. xix Jeffery was not so slim, nor was his eye so poignant. 1820 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) II. v. 120 Jeffrey has a singular expression—poignant, bitter, piercing—as if his countenance never lit up but at the perception of some weakness in human nature. †5. Of words or expressions: sharp, stinging; severe; (also) pleasantly keen or pointed, piquant. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [adjective] > poignant poignant?1473 aigre-doux1523 agrodolce1833 ?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) II. lf. 326^v Eneas..answered to the kynge wordes sharpe and poynant ynowhe. a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Newberry) 200 Poignaunte [c1475 Univ. Oxf. bytinge; Fr. poignant; a1500 Rawl. There restith in the egir and prignaunte wourdis of detraccion ayeinst them]. 1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes iii, in Wks. 224/2 Your wordes..be somewhat pugnant and sharpe. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 270^v With these sharpe & poynaunte woordes he clene putte awaye y^e fearefull trembleyng of all the legions. 1668 J. Dryden Of Dramatick Poesie 69 Quick and poynant brevity. 1678 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer (ed. 2) iii. i Poinant and sower Invectives. 1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 208 Witticisms which you think so delicate and poignant. 1773 H. Chapone Lett. Improvem. Mind I. 157 A witty repartee, or a stroke of poignant raillery. 1823 C. Lamb Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist in Elia 75 Her illustrations were apposite and poignant. 1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. iii. i. 248 Poignant sarcasm. 1896 Times 23 Oct. 10/1 The search for the telling, the poignant phrase is instinctive. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.c1387
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