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pungent
4 dictionary results for: pungency
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
pun·gent       [puhn-juhnt] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell, as if by a penetrating power; biting; acrid.
2.acutely distressing to the feelings or mind; poignant.
3.caustic, biting, or sharply expressive: pungent remarks.
4.mentally stimulating or appealing: pungent wit.
5.Biology. piercing or sharp-pointed.
[Origin: 1590–1600; < L pungent- (s. of pungéns), prp. of pungere to prick. See poignant, point, -ent]

—Related forms
pun·gen·cy, noun
pun·gent·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. hot, peppery, piquant, sharp. 3. sarcastic, mordant, cutting; acrimonious, bitter. 4. keen, sharp.
—Antonyms 1. mild, bland. 3. soothing. 4. dull.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
pun·gent       (pŭn'jənt)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Affecting the organs of taste or smell with a sharp acrid sensation.
    1. Penetrating, biting, or caustic: pungent satire.
    2. To the point; sharp: pungent talks during which the major issues were confronted.
  3. Pointed: a pungent leaf.


[Latin pungēns, pungent-, present participle of pungere, to sting; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.]

pun'gen·cy n., pun'gent·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
pungency

noun
1. wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" 
2. a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard"; "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange spices"; "the raciness of the wine" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Pungency

Pun"gen*cy\, n. The quality or state of being pungent or piercing; keenness; sharpness; piquancy; as, the pungency of ammonia. "The pungency of menaces." --Hammond.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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