French word poignant comes from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-, Proto-Indo-European *pewḱ-, and later Proto-Italic *pungō (To prick, to sting.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *pewǵ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *pewḱ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *pungō | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | To prick, to sting. |
| pungere | Latin (lat) | |
| puindre | Old French (fro) | (to puncture). |
| pungens | Latin (lat) | |
| poignant | Old French (fro) | Pointed; pointy. |
| poignant | French (fra) | Poignant. |