PUNGENT


Meaning of PUNGENT in English

/ ˈpʌndʒənt; NAmE / adjective

1.

having a strong taste or smell :

the pungent smell of burning rubber

➡ note at bitter

2.

direct and having a strong effect :

pungent criticism

►  pun·gency / -nsi; NAmE / noun [ U ]

►  pung·ent·ly adverb

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WORD ORIGIN

late 16th cent. (in the sense very painful or distressing ): from Latin pungent- pricking, from the verb pungere .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.