# puny

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpjuːni/ · frequency rank #37,176

## Definitions
1. Of inferior significance, size, or strength; ineffective, small, weak.
2. (Frequently) ill; poorly, sickly.
3. Alternative spelling of puisne.
4. Alternative spelling of puisne.
5. Alternative spelling of puisne.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pós
Proto-Indo-European *-ti
Proto-Indo-European *pós-ti
Proto-Italic *posti
Latin poste
Latin post
Proto-Indo-European *íh₂
Latin ea
Latin posteā
Vulgar Latin *postius
Old French puis
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁tós
Proto-Italic *gnātos
Latin gnātus
Latin nātus
Old French né
Old French puisné
Middle French puisnébor.
English puisne
English puny
 PIE word
 *pós
A respelling of puisne, from Anglo-Norman puisné (“later, more recent; junior; weakly”) [and other forms] and Middle French puisné (“born after (a specified person); younger, youngest; one who is born after (a specified person)”) (modern French puîné (“cadet (born after a sibling); a cadet (someone born after a sibling)”)), from puis (“after; since”) + né (“born”). Puis is derived from Old French pois (“after; since”), from Vulgar Latin *postius (“afterward”), from Latin posteā (“afterwards; hereafter; thereafter; next, then”), from post (“after; since”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pós (“afterwards”)) + ea (“these (things)”); and né from Latin nātus (“born”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”).

## Easily confused with
- **put** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-put)
- **pup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pup)
- **pus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pus)
- **pur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pur)
- **push** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-push)
- **pure** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pure)
- **puts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-puts)
- **pups** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pups)
- **putt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-putt)
- **puss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-puss)
- **puri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-puri)
- **purr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-purr)
- **pussy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pussy)
- **puppy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-puppy)
- **pushy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-pushy)
- **putty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-putty)
- **purdy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-purdy)
- **Putney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puny-vs-putney)
- **PU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pu-vs-puny)
- **pay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pay-vs-puny)

## Common misspellings (6)
`pnuy`, `ppuny`, `punny`, `punyy`, `puyn`, `upny`

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