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punt²

(pŭnt) Football

A kick in which the ball is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground.

v. punt·ed, punt·ing, punts

v.tr.

To propel (a ball) by means of a punt.

v.intr.

1. To execute a punt.

2. Informal To cease doing something; give up: Let's punt on this and try something else.

[Perhaps from dialectal punt, to strike, push, perhaps alteration of bunt.]

punter n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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