different between ingenious vs poignant

English

Alternative forms

• engenious (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ingénieux, from Old French engenious, from Latin ingeni?sus (“endowed with good natural capacity, gifted with genius”), from ingenium (“innate or natural quality, natural capacity, genius”), from in- (“in”) +? gignere (“to produce”), Old Latin genere. See also engine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?d?i?nj?s/, /?n?d?i?ni?s/
• Rhymes: -i?ni?s
• Hyphenation: in?ge?nious

Adjective

ingenious (comparative more ingenious, superlative most ingenious)

1. (of a person) Displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent.

2. (of a thing) Characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived.

3. Witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious.

Usage notes

Do not confuse with ingenuous.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:witty
• See also Thesaurus:intelligent

Related terms

Translations

References

• ingenious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ingenious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

From Middle English poynaunt, poynant, borrowed from Anglo-Norman puignant, poynaunt etc., present participle of poindre (“to prick”), from Latin pung? (“prick”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??n.j?nt/, /?p???.?nt/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?p??.n?nt/
• Hyphenation: poign?ant (per American Heritage and Random House); poi?gnant (per Merriam-Webster)

Adjective

poignant (comparative more poignant, superlative most poignant)

1. (obsolete, of a weapon, etc.) Sharp-pointed; keen.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VII:

     His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].

2. Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

3. Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.

   Synonyms: distressing, moving
4. (figuratively, of a smell, taste) Piquant, pungent.
5. (figuratively, of a look, word) Incisive; penetrating; piercing.

6. (chiefly Britain, dated) Inducing sharp physical pain.

Related terms

• poignancy
• poignantly

Translations

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989
• Webster Third New International 1986

Anagrams

• Paignton

French

Etymology

From Old French poignant, present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pwa.???/

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre
2. present participle of poigner

Adjective

poignant (feminine singular poignante, masculine plural poignants, feminine plural poignantes)

1. poignant

References

Further reading

• “poignant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

Present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre

Adjective

poignant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular poignant or poignante)

1. pointed; pointy

Descendants

• ? English: poignant
• French: poignant