It was interesting to observe how, upon reading this article, I found myself in posession of a never before seen association between the words putative and puny. How odd…

And impugn for that matter. I don’t think they’re etymologically related, though. Putative is from puto, putare, putavi, putatum: to reckon, suppose, judge, think, imagine.

If my friend who’s getting a grad degree in Classics is out there, maybe she can enlighten us further :p Suddenly worries about whether she’s correct about puto, putare and putative

Perhaps you need Santa to bring you this?

I’d really prefer this.

Wouldn’t we all? :o)

My friend was out there, but did not care to post:

Quite right about the origins of putative: tho’ the adj. putativus (from which I suppose you could say the modern English is drawn) is a later Latin accretion first appearing in the aggressive Christian apologist Tertullian (see http://www.tertullian.org/works.htm ).

According to the blessed OED, puny is the phonetic spelling of the more proper puisne (which means the same, but “now only in legal use” – hooked on euphonics?)

Impugn: impugno, -are, etc.

And there you have it.

Thank you very. O’ the blessed OED. Of course, I would want the electronic version, just like Webster’s, my trusty companion, always ready in a background task, just waiting to clarify a meaning for me or verify a spelling whenever I need it. It makes English as a second language more bearable, for sure. :o)

One of the things I miss most about college—at college, by virtue of our IP address we could get the OED online :)