pun

Etymology 1

From Middle English ponnen, ponen, punen, from Old English punian, pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush, grind”), from Proto-Germanic *punōną (“to break to pieces, pulverize”). See pound. As a kind of word play, from the notion of "beating" the words into place.

verb

1. (transitive) To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.
2. (intransitive) To make or tell a pun; to make a play on words.
   We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.

noun

1. A joke or type of wordplay in which similar definitions or sounds of two words or phrases, or different definitions of the same word, are deliberately confused.
   The pun is the lowest form of wit.
   Austen was likely referring to flogging or spanking, then common naval punishments, known as le vice anglais.

Etymology 2

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (“fen”).

noun

1. (Korean units of measure) Alternative form of bun: a Korean unit of length equivalent to about 0.3 cm.