punë

The current form is a participle of an obsolete form *pojë, which is a zero-grade suffixed derivation of *h₃ep- (“to work”). Relationship with Hittite [script needed] (ḫappinaḫḫ, “to become rich”) is unclear, even though there have been cases in which an older -i- has become a -u- (ahu (“beech”) is also attested as ahi in older dictionaries), making it possible for this word to have been *pina with a different meaning.

Alternatively a derivative in -në of an unused verb *puaj, continuing Proto-Albanian *pānja. The latter is related to Ancient Greek πένομαι (pénomai, “to strain, work on”) and its deverbative πόνος (pónos), with uncertain further links.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈpunə/, [ˈpu̞ːn(ɜ)]

punë f (plural punë, definite puna, definite plural punët)

1. work; labour; job