spunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈspəŋk 

1

a

: a woody tinder : punk

b

: any of various fungi used to make tinder

2

: mettle, pluck

3

: spirit, liveliness

spunk

2 of 2

verb

spunked; spunking; spunks

intransitive verb

dialect

: to show spirit

—usually used with up

Synonyms

Noun

• backbone
• constancy
• fiber
• fortitude
• grit
• grittiness
• guts
• intestinal fortitude
• pluck

Examples of spunk in a Sentence

Noun

That little girl has a lot of spunk.

had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Recently headlining Afropunk New York 2024, the singer has yet to lose her spunk. —Essence, 18 Oct. 2024

Paul Robeson was called all of the above, in addition to the more familiar slurs applied to a Black man who showed a little spunk in a Jim Crow culture. —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024

Verb

The Wild already had spunk, but Deslauriers has crafted a nice brand in the pest-nuisance-and-hitting market. —Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Scottish Gaelic spong sponge, tinder, from Middle Irish spongc, from Latin spongia sponge

First Known Use

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spunk

noun

ˈspəŋk

1

: courage, pluck

2

: spirit entry 1 sense 4

Etymology

Noun

from earlier spunk "tinder," from Scottish Gaelic spong "sponge, tinder," from Latin spongia "sponge"

Word Origin

Spunk now means "spirit, readiness to fight against odds, courage." It is somewhat surprising to learn that it comes from a Latin word for something that seems quite the opposite: "sponge." The Latin word for "sponge," spongia, came into Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language of the Scottish Highlands, as spong and meant "sponge." But it also came to mean "tinder," the light, dry material used to start a fire. Tinder was often dry, spongy wood that would ignite easily and looked like sponge. A person who fought courageously and without complaining, especially against strong opponents, was thought of as catching fire. This flaring up of the human spirit was compared to the bursting into flame of tinder. Thus, a person who had this quality was said to have spunk.