{"id":7491,"date":"2026-11-09T23:39:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/?p=7491"},"modified":"2026-11-09T23:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T23:41:39","slug":"word-of-the-day-poignant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/2026\/11\/09\/word-of-the-day-poignant\/","title":{"rendered":"Word of the Day: Poignant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s word of the day, thanks to the Words Coach (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary<\/a>), is poignant<\/em>. Pronounced \/ \u02c8p\u0254\u026an j\u0259nt \/, this adjective means \u201ckeenly distressing to the feelings,\u201d \u201ckeen or strong in mental appeal,\u201d \u201caffecting or moving the emotions,\u201d or \u201cpungent to the smell\u201d (https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/poignant<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merriam-Webster, in its Did You Know section, says, \u201cPoignant comes to English from French, and before that from Latin\u2014specifically, the Latin verb pungere<\/em>, meaning \u2018to prick or sting.\u2019 Several other common English words derive from pungere<\/em>, including pungent<\/em>, which can refer to, among other things, a sharp odor. The influence of pungere<\/em> can also be seen in puncture<\/em>, as well as punctual<\/em>, which originally meant simply \u2018of or relating to a point.\u2019 Even compunction<\/em> and expunge<\/em> come from this pointedly relevant Latin word\u201d (https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/poignant<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It appears in English in the \u201clate 14c., poinaunt<\/em>, \u2018painful to physical or mental feeling\u2019 (of sauce, spice, wine as well as things that affect the feelings), from Old French poignant<\/em> \u2018sharp, pointed\u2019 (13c.), present participle of poindre<\/em> \u2018to prick, sting,\u2019 from Latin pungere<\/em> \u2018to prick, pierce, sting,\u2019 figuratively, \u2018to vex, grieve, trouble, afflict\u2019 (from suffixed form of PIE root *peuk-<\/strong><\/a> “to prick”) (https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/poignant<\/a>). In addition, \u201cThe sense of \u2018sharp to the taste\u2019 is now obsolete. The word contains an etymological double-reverse. Latin pungere<\/em> is from the same root as Latin pugnus<\/em> \u2018fist,\u2019 and represents a Latin metathesis of -n-<\/em> and -g-<\/em> that was reversed in French\u201d (ibid.). Metathesis is the \u201cthe transposition of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word, as in the pronunciation for comfortable or for ask\u201d (https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/metathesis<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The etymology website also explains in detail about that Proto-IndoEuropean root: \u201cIt might form all or part of: appoint; appointment; bung; compunction; contrapuntal; expugn; expunge; impugn; interpunction; oppugn; pink; poignant; point; pointe; pointillism; poniard; pounce; pugilism; pugilist; pugnacious; pugnacity; punch<\/em> (n.1) \u2018pointed tool for making holes or embossing;\u2019 punch<\/em> \u2018a quick blow with the fist;\u2019 punch<\/em> (v.) \u2018to hit with the fist;\u2019 puncheon (n.2) \u2018pointed tool for punching or piercing; punctilio<\/em>; punctiliou<\/em>s; punctual<\/em>; punctuate<\/em>; punctuation<\/em>; puncture<\/em>; pungent<\/em>; punty<\/em>; pygmy<\/em>; repugn<\/em>; repugnance<\/em>; repugnant<\/em>.
\u201cIt might also be the source of: Greek pyx<\/em> \u2018with clenched fist,\u2019 pygme<\/em> \u2018fist, boxing,\u2019 pyktes<\/em> \u2018boxer;\u2019 Latin pugnare<\/em> \u2018to fight,\u2019 especially with the fists, pungere<\/em> \u2018to pierce, prick\u2019\u201d (https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/poignant<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this date in 1526, Jews were expelled from Pressburg (Bratislava), Hungary (https:\/\/www.onthisday.com\/events\/november\/9 ). \u201cJews were expelled and accepted back several times in history of Bratislava, but after the Battle of Moh\u00e1cs in 1526 they were expelled permanently as part of the general expulsion from the Kingdom of Hungary. The synagogue was torn down and a monastery was built in its place. Many Bratislava Jews fled into neighboring Austria but a few remained in an area called Schlossgrund, outside of the walled city. Most of them left in 1572 on the orders of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor\u201d (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_the_Jews_in_Bratislava<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, on this date in 1526 the Jews were expelled from all of Hungary \u201cafter being falsely accused of aiding the Turks in the war against Hungary. This is an example of the Jews being caught up in the cross currents of European Religious Wars. Most of Hungary had come under the control of the Turks\u2026. The Hungarians were all that stood between the Turks and the Germanic Holy Roman Empire.  But Charles V, the Emperor was not supplying aide for reasons of his own, so the Jews ended up being scapegoats for the newly enthroned Hungarian King\u2019s inability to dislodge the Turks\u201d (https:\/\/ourcog.org\/this-day-november-9-in-jewish-history-by-mitchell-a-and-kathryn-levin\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on this date, in 1720, the \u201cRabbi Yehuda Hasid synagogue [was] set afire\u201d (https:\/\/www.onthisday.com\/events\/november\/9<\/a>). \u201cRabbi Yehuda Hasid and a small group of a few hundred followers arrived in Eretz Israel. The rabbi purchased the courtyard in the Old City for the synagogue, and construction of the facility was started after his death but was never completed. Due to the non-payment of a loan taken by Jews from Arabs for the construction of the synagogue, Arabs burned down the site, desecrating its 40 Torah scrolls. The destruction wrought at the time became the root of the name of the “Hurva” (ruin) synagogue, and building recommenced in the late 1830s, by Perushim followers of the Vilna Gaon. After its completion in 1864, the Hurva loomed as a cultural and religious symbol in Eretz Israel and Jerusalem. The Hurva retained its status as Jerusalem’s leading synagogue, and public gatherings and celebrations were held in it. Among other events, a prayer gathering to mark the coronation of King George V was held at the Hurva. Two days after the Jewish Quarter fell to Jordanian legionnaires during the 1948 war; the Jordanians blew up the Hurva. The Jordanian commander on the scene reported to his superiors: “For the first time in 1,000 years, there’s not a single Jew left in the Jewish Quarter, and not a single building that hasn’t been damaged. This will make the return of Jews here impossible.” After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Hurva became a memorial to the fall of the Jewish Quarter in 1948\u201d (https:\/\/ourcog.org\/this-day-november-9-in-jewish-history-by-mitchell-a-and-kathryn-levin\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on this day, \u201cUS General Ulysses S. Grant issues orders to bar Jews from serving under him\u201d (https:\/\/www.onthisday.com\/events\/november\/9<\/a>). And actually, it was bigger than that. \u201cMajor Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, then in command of a military district made up areas of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi, told a subordinate to \u2018refuse all [travel] permits to come south of Jackson, Mississippi, for the present. The Israelites,\u2019 he added, \u2018especially should be kept out.\u2019
\u201cOn the following day, Grant instructed his chief of staff, Gen. Joseph Webster, to order \u2018all the conductors on the [railroad] that no Jews are to be permitted to travel on the railroad southward from any point. They may go north and be encouraged in it, but they are such an intolerable nuisance that the [district] must be purged of them.\u2019 In a letter to Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Grant wrote that his policy was occasioned \u2018in consequence of the total disregard and evasion of orders by Jews\u2019\u201d (https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2017\/11\/09\/grant-bars-jews-from-war-zone-nov-9-1862-244654<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this date in 1938, \u201cKristallnacht begins: pogrom against Jews in Germany and Austria – first large-scale physical act of anti-Jewish violence, begins\u201d (https:\/\/www.onthisday.com\/events\/november\/9<\/a>). \u201cKristallnacht was a nationwide, violent anti-Jewish riot that took place throughout Nazi Germany on November 9 and 10, 1938. During Kristallnacht, groups of Nazis and other Germans targeted Jewish places of worship, stores and businesses, homes, and people. The perpetrators included Nazi Party officials and members of Nazi Party organizations, especially the SA, SS, and Hitler Youth. German civilians unaffiliated with these Nazi organizations also participated. Many took the opportunity to steal items from vandalized Jewish homes and businesses, and to publicly humiliate their Jewish neighbors.
\u201cTop Nazi leaders coordinated and instigated the Kristallnacht riot. However, they intended for it to look like an unplanned outburst of popular anger against Jews. They portrayed the violence as a spontaneous response to a Jewish teenager\u2019s assassination of a minor German diplomat. But the violence was not spontaneous. Nazi officials used the incident as an excuse to launch the riot\u201d (https:\/\/encyclopedia.ushmm.org\/content\/en\/article\/kristallnacht<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring Kristallnacht, groups of Nazis destroyed more than 1,400 synagogues throughout Germany and its annexed territories. They also destroyed other Jewish religious and communal buildings, including prayer houses in Jewish cemeteries. In most cases, local Nazis set fire to the synagogues. Sometimes they used explosives to destroy the buildings. Local firefighters stood by. They had received orders only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs part of the wanton destruction of Jewish houses of worship, Nazis also desecrated religious texts and other sacred Jewish objects and clothing, such as prayer shawls. Throughout Germany and the annexed territories, groups of Nazis destroyed holy Torah scrolls by throwing them onto the ground, tearing them, burning them, or tossing them into rivers\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAcross Germany and its annexed territories, groups of Nazis vandalized thousands of Jewish-owned stores and businesses. They shattered the glass storefront windows, destroyed shop wares, and painted graffiti. Even though the regime had instructed people not to loot, theft was common. This was a culmination of almost five years of Nazi propaganda, boycotts, and threats\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was clearly more than just the culmination of five years of Nazi propaganda. It was the culmination of centuries of discrimination against Jews. And that discrimination continues today and is actually getting worse. On November 8 of 2026, \u201cthe activist group Philly Bike On Your Left, working alongside two other anti-Israel organizations, [promoted] a bicycle demonstration \u2026 aimed at businesses whose owners are Jewish or perceived to support Israel\u2026. Organizers advertised the demonstration as an effort to \u2018show these zio business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are.\u2019 Another message declared, \u2018No business for zionists! These zionist establishments must go! Not in our city!\u2019\u201d (https:\/\/www.theyeshivaworld.com\/news\/israel-news\/2619307\/chilling-antisemitsm-anti-israel-activists-target-jewish-owned-philadelphia-businesses-on-anniversary-of-kristallnacht.html<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world with a population over 8 billion people, the Jewish minority represents 0.2% of that population, with under 16 million people, a number almost one million less than the Jewish population at its peak, before the Nazis tried to kill them all. One would think that, in a nation that tries its best to protect all kinds of minorities, the Jews would be protected as well. It is poignant that such protection no longer exists in certain parts of the country. Maybe one day tolerance and peace will rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s image is of Marseilles, France, which saw riots specifically targeting Jewish businesses. \u201cIn France\u2019s second-largest city of Marseille, which boasts one of the largest Jewish populations of any city in Europe, rioters vandalized dozens of shops \u2014 stealing a range of products ranging from high-end Hermes items to slices of bread, according to local reports\u201d (https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/10\/18\/world-news\/synagogue-ransacked-jewish-businesses-hit-during-french-riots\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s word of the day, thanks to the Words Coach (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary), is poignant. Pronounced \/ \u02c8p\u0254\u026an j\u0259nt \/, this adjective means \u201ckeenly distressing to the feelings,\u201d \u201ckeen or strong in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[411,238,395,284,1052],"class_list":["post-7491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-word-of-the-day","tag-anti-semitism","tag-dictionary","tag-etymology","tag-linguistics","tag-poignant","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7491"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7493,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7491\/revisions\/7493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}