punctilio \ˌpəŋk-ˈti-lē-ˌō\
noun: 1. a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code,
2. careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)
Etymology: Italian
puntiglio point of honor, scruple, from Spanish
puntillo, from diminutive of
punto point, from Latin
punctum
Merriam-Webster dates
punctilio’s earliest written usage at 1596. Despite more than four hundred years of life on the lips of English speakers, the word doesn’t sound very English, at least to my ears.
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