ponce

[pons]

noun British Slang.

a pimp.

a campily effeminate male.

Origin of ponce

First recorded in 1870–75; of obscure origin

Ponce

[pawn-se]

noun

a seaport in S Puerto Rico.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ponce

Contemporary Examples of ponce

Nor was Ponce de Leon looking for any mythical Fountain of Youth.
Sunshine: Florida’s Fraught Relationship With the Truth
Jim DeFede
March 17, 2013
According to Allman: Ponce de Leon did not discover Florida in 1513.
Sunshine: Florida’s Fraught Relationship With the Truth
Jim DeFede
March 17, 2013
What Ponce de Leon failed to find in one fell swoop, medical researchers have been chipping away at in recent years.
10 Ways to Live Forever
The Daily Beast
February 22, 2010

Historical Examples of ponce

"Ponce de Leon," supplied Dorcas Jane, proud that she could pronounce it.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
San Juan and Ponce are the leading seaports and centres of trade.
Commercial Geography
Jacques W. Redway
"Yet there is one Ponce de Leon to finish these," said Evaristo, running off.
Ponce de Leon
William Pilling
On November 10, 603 men were reported sick in the district of Ponce.
The Red Cross in Peace and War
Clara Barton
Returning, the Concho reached Ponce again on the twenty-fifth.
The Red Cross in Peace and War
Clara Barton

British Dictionary definitions for ponce

ponce

noun

a man given to ostentatious or effeminate display in manners, speech, dress, etc

another word for pimp 1

verb

(intr; often foll by around or about) to act like a ponce

Word Origin for ponce

C19: from Polari, from Spanish pu (n) to male prostitute or French pront prostitute

Ponce

noun

a port in S Puerto Rico, on the Caribbean: the second largest town on the island; settled in the 16th century. Pop: 185 930 (2003 est)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ponce

slang term, chiefly British, 1872, originally "a pimp, a man supported by women" (pouncey in same sense is attested from 1861), of unknown origin, perhaps from French pensionnaire "boarder, lodger, person living without working." Meaning "male homosexual" first attested 1932 in Auden [OED]. Also as a verb. Related: Poncey.