puisne

Etymology

PIE word *pós From Anglo-Norman puisné (“later, more recent; junior; weakly”) [and other forms] and Middle French puisné (“born after (a specified person); younger, youngest; one who is born after (a specified person)”) (modern French puîné (“cadet (born after a sibling); a cadet (someone born after a sibling)”)), from puis (“after; since”) + né (“born”). Puis is derived from Old French pois (“after; since”), from Vulgar Latin *postius (“afterward”), from Latin posteā (“afterwards; hereafter; thereafter; next, then”), from post (“after; since”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pós (“afterwards”)) + ea (“these (things)”); and né from Latin nātus (“born”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”).

adj

1. (obsolete) Younger; junior.
2. (obsolete) Insignificant, petty; ineffectual.
3. (law) Inferior in rank, as designation of any justice, judge etc. other than the most senior.
   the puisne barons of the Court of Exchequer
4. (now law) Coming later in time; subsequent, secondary.

noun

1. A person of puisne rank.