# Punic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpjuːnɪk/ · frequency rank #58,949

## Definitions
1. Of or relating to ancient Carthage, its inhabitants, or their language.
2. Perfidious, treacherous, faithless.

## Etymology
From Latin pūnicus, variant of poenicus, from Poenus + -icus, from Ancient Greek Φοῖνιξ (Phoînix), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀡𐀛𐀑𐀍 (po-ni-ki-jo) under influence from φοινός (phoinós, “crimson red”) owing to its relation to Tyrian purple, apparently from or cognate with Egyptian fnḫw (“Asiatics, Semites”), f:n:x-w-V12:Z2. Equivalent to a modified Phoenician + -ic.

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