Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: , present participle of pungere 'to prick, sting'

pungent

 adjective
     
pun‧gent
1 having a strong taste or smell
pungent smell/aroma/odour etc
the pungent odour of garlic
2AL formal pungent speech or writing is clever and direct, and usually criticizes someone or something strongly:
He expressed some fairly pungent criticisms.
—pungently adverb
—pungency noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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