punch not < panc

[Jim Rader]

In current Merriam-Webster dictionaries, the Indo-Aryan etymology of
<punch> is prefaced by "perhaps." This amounts to saying that the
etymology is an educated guess, to use Stefan's phrase, not an
unquestioned standard.  Hindi is given as the immediate possible
source, though Gujarati, Marathi, or Bengali should probably be given
more serious consideration.  This, like most of the other Anglo-Indian
etymologies in our dictionaries, needs re-vetting.

Jim Rader

> In the absence of a clear
> Indian native word which combines form and content of modern "punch" (at
> least approximately) - which we should look for, preferably in Gujarati and
> Marathi, for the earliest (English !) attestations seem to be associated
> with this region, or Bengali, where the the earliest British stronghold was
> - the "five" etymology, which has become unquestioned standard, may be
> reclassified as an educated guess.