Word of the Day : May 21, 2019

pungle \PUNG-gul\ verb

Definition

1 : to make a payment or contribution of (money) — usually used with up

2 : pay, contribute — usually used with up

Did You Know?

Pungle is from the Spanish word póngale, meaning "put it down," which itself is from the verb poner, meaning "to put" or "to place," and, more specifically, "to wager" or "to bet." The earliest uses of pungle are from the mid-1800s and are in reference to anteing up in games of chance. It did not take long for the word to be used in other contexts. We find it, for example, in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) when Huck's father says: "I'll make [Judge Thatcher] pungle, too, or I'll know the reason why." Nowadays, pungle is mainly used in the western part of the United States.

Aired May 21, 2019

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