PUNGENT


Meaning of PUNGENT in English

pun ‧ gent /ˈpʌndʒənt/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: present participle of pungere 'to prick, sting' ]

1 . having a strong taste or smell

pungent smell/aroma/odour etc

the pungent odour of garlic

2 . formal pungent speech or writing is clever and direct, and usually criticizes someone or something strongly:

He expressed some fairly pungent criticisms.

—pungently adverb

—pungency noun [uncountable]

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.