punctual

[ puhngk-choo-uh l ]
/ ˈpʌŋk tʃu əl /

adjective

strictly observant of an appointed or regular time; not late; prompt.
made, occurring, etc., at the scheduled or proper time: punctual payment.
pertaining to or of the nature of a point.

Origin of punctual

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin pūnctuālis of a point, equivalent to Latin pūnctu(s) a point, a pricking ( pung(ere) to prick + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ālis -al1; see pungent

OTHER WORDS FROM punctual

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH punctual

punctilious punctual

Example sentences from the Web for punctual

British Dictionary definitions for punctual

punctual
/ (ˈpʌŋktjʊəl) /

adjective

arriving or taking place at an arranged time; prompt
(of a person) having the characteristic of always keeping to arranged times, as for appointments, meetings, etc
obsolete precise; exact; apposite
maths consisting of or confined to a point in space

Derived forms of punctual

punctuality, noun punctually, adverb

Word Origin for punctual

C14: from Medieval Latin punctuālis concerning detail, from Latin punctum point