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n. [ L. acus needle + punctura a pricking, fr. pungere to prick: cf. F. acuponcture. ] Pricking with a needle; a needle prick. Specifically (Med.): The insertion of needles into the living tissues for remedial purposes, such as to relieve pain. It was first recorded as being practised in China, and the technique is believed to be over 2, 000 years old. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

Acupuncture
(An NIH Consensus Statement prepared by a nonadvocate, non-Federal panel of experts)

November 3-5, 1997
Vol. 15, No. 5

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. While there have been many studies of its potential usefulness, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebos and sham acupuncture groups. However, promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
taken from: https://web.archive.org/web/20011126211520/http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/107/107_intro.htm [ PJC ]

v. t. To treat with acupuncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aqua water, + punctura puncture, pungere, punctum, to, prick. ] (Med.) The introduction of water subcutaneously for the relief of pain. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + punctate. ] Having two punctures, or spots. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having two points. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or }. (Mech.) (a) A punch for making indentations or dots in a piece of work, as for suspension between lathe centers, etc. (b) A punch for punching holes in sheet metal, having a small conical center to insure correct locating. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ LL. compunctus, p. p. ] Affected with compunction; conscience-stricken. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. compunction, F. componction, L. compunctio, fr. compungere, compunctum, to prick; com- + pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent. ] 1. A pricking; stimulation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

That acid and piercing spirit which, with such activity and compunction, invadeth the brains and nostrils. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A picking of heart; poignant grief proceeding from a sense of guilt or consciousness of causing pain; the sting of conscience. [ 1913 Webster ]

He acknowledged his disloyalty to the king, with expressions of great compunction. Clarendon.

Syn. -- Compunction, Remorse, Contrition. Remorse is anguish of soul under a sense of guilt or consciousness of having offended God or brought evil upon one's self or others. Compunction is the pain occasioned by a wounded and awakened conscience. Neither of them implies true contrition, which denotes self-condemnation, humiliation, and repentance. We speak of the gnawings of remorse; of compunction for a specific act of transgression; of deep contrition in view of our past lives. See Regret. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Without compunction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of compunction; caused by conscience; attended with, or causing, compunction. [ 1913 Webster ]

That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With compunction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sensitive in respect of wrongdoing; conscientious. [ Obs. ] Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ It. contrappunto counterpoint. See Counterpoint. ] (Mus.) Pertaining to, or according to the rules of, counterpoint. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. contrappuntista. ] (Mus.) One skilled in counterpoint. L. Mason. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Wanting in punctilious respect; discourteous. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

That were dispunct to the ladies. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See 1st Dispunge. ] To expunge. [ Obs. ] Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. dispungere to prick apart, i. e., check off the debts and credits of an account; dis- + pungere to prick. ] To expunge; to erase. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. See Disponge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Without penal restraint; not punishable. [ R. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) An operation that consists in inserting needless in the part affected, and connecting them with the poles of a galvanic apparatus. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. (Med.) See Electropuncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. expunctio execution, performance, from expungere. See Expunge. ] The act of expunging or erasing; the condition of being expunged. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Expunged p. pr. & vb. n. Expunging ] [ L. expungere, expunctum, prick out, expunge, settle an account, execute; ex out + pungere to prick, puncture. See Pungent. ] 1. To blot out, as with pen; to rub out; to efface designedly; to obliterate; to strike out wholly; as, to expunge words, lines, or sentences. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To strike out; to wipe out or destroy; to annihilate; as, to expunge an offense. Sandys. [ 1913 Webster ]

Expunge the whole, or lop th' excrescent parts. Pope.

Syn. -- To efface; erase; obliterate; strike out; destroy; annihilate; cancel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. deletion by an act of expunging or erasing.
Syn. -- expunction, erasure. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Spun so as to be fine; drawn to a fine thread; attenuated; hence, unsubstantial; visionary; as, finespun theories. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) Same as Electro-puncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Firmly twisted in spinning. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Spun or wrought at home; of domestic manufacture; coarse; plain. “Homespun country garbs.” W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Plain in manner or style; not elegant; rude; coarse. “Our homespun English proverb.” Dryden. “Our homespun authors.” Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Cloth made at home; as, he was dressed in homespun. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An unpolished, rustic person. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not punctate or dotted. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. im- not + punctual: cf. F. imponctuel. ] Not punctual. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Neglect of, or failure in, punctuality. [ R. ] A. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. impunis. ] Unpunished. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Without punishment; with impunity. [ Obs. ] J. Ellis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. impunitas, fr. impunis without punishment; pref. im- not + poena punishment: cf. F. impunité. See Pain. ] Exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heaven, though slow to wrath,
Is never with impunity defied. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

The impunity and also the recompense. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. interpunctio, fr. interpungere, interppunctum, to interpoint. See Inter-, and Point. ] The insertion of points between words or sentences; punctuation. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Spun out, or extended, to great length; hence, long-winded; tedious. [ 1913 Webster ]

The longspun allegories fulsome grow,
While the dull moral lies too plain below. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To punctuate wrongly or incorrectly. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖prop. n. [ NL. ] (Bot.) A genus of cactaceous plants; the prickly pear, or Indian fig. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. An order of plants coextensive with the family Cactaceae, comprising the cactuses.
Syn. -- order Opuntiales. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A pointed steel punch, to prick a mark on metal. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Pound to beat. ] To pound. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He would pun thee into shivers with his fist. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Pun to pound, Pound to beat. ] A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

A better put on this word was made on the Beggar's Opera, which, it was said, made Gay rich, and Rich gay. Walpole. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Punned p. pr. & vb. n. Punning. ] To make puns, or a pun; to use a word in a double sense, especially when the contrast of ideas is ludicrous; to play upon words; to quibble. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To persuade or affect by a pun. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp., of Peruv. origin. ] A cold arid table-land, as in the Andes of Peru. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A thrust or blow. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Hind. pānch five, Skr. pa&unr_;can. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five. ] A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; -- specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Milk punch, a sort of punch made with spirit, milk, sugar, spice, etc. --
Punch bowl, a large bowl in which punch is made, or from which it is served. --
Roman punch, a punch frozen and served as an ice. [ 1913 Webster ]