 | WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
| WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
Punctual
Pronunciation : Punc"tu*al
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [F. ponctuel (cf. Sp.puntual, It. puntuale), from L. punctum point. See Point.]
Definition : 1. Consisting in a point; limited to a point; unextended. [R.] "This punctual spot." Milton. The theory of the punctual existence of the soul. Krauth.
2. Observant of nice points; punctilious; precise. Punctual to tediousness in all that he relates. Bp. Burnet. So much on punctual niceties they stand. C. Pitt.
3. Appearing or done at, or adhering exactly to, a regular or an appointed time; precise; prompt; as, a punctual man; a punctual payment. "The race of the undeviating and punctual sun." Cowper. These sharp strokes [of a pendulum], with their inexorably steady intersections, so agree with our successive thoughts that they seem like the punctual stops counting off our very souls into the past. J. Martineau.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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