The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

pungent (adjective):

1: sharply painful
2: having a stiff and sharp point
3a: marked by a sharp incisive quality : caustic
b: being sharp and to the point
4a: causing a sharp or irritating sensation
b: having an intense flavor or odor

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Things described as “pungent”—be they on the plate or on the page—have a bite to them, just as the word’s Latin forbear suggests: the verb pungere means “to prick or sting.” Some early uses of pungent described things that literally pricked, and the word is still used this way in the biological sciences for such purposes as identifying fish with pungent dorsal fins or plants (such as holly) with pungent leaves. But most often we reserve pungent for flavors and scents that don’t actually pierce or poke us, even if they result in similar sensations—which many people enjoy! The word is also frequently applied to verbal prickings, in which sharp and incisive language brings a biting quality to satires, critiques, and the like. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we think pungent really cuts the mustard as an evocative word choice.

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