puny

Meanings

Adjective

• Of inferior significance, size, or strength; ineffective, small, weak.
• (Frequently) ill; poorly, sickly.
• Alternate spelling of puisne

Noun

• An inferior person; a subordinate; also, an insignificant person.

Origin

• A respelling of puisne, from Anglo-Norman puisné and Middle French puisné (modern French puîné), from puis + né. Puis is derived from Old French pois, from Vulgar Latin *postius, from Latin posteā, from post (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pós) + ea; and né from Latin nātus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-.