# pugilist

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpjuː.d͡ʒɪlɪst/ · frequency rank #87,719

## Definitions
1. One who fights with their fists, especially a professional prize fighter; a boxer.
2. One who engages in rhetorical attacks, for himself or on behalf of another.

## Etymology
From Latin pugil (“boxer”) + -ist, related to pugnus (“fist”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“prick, punch”). Compare contemporary pugilism (“boxing”) (1791).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pugilist