鼻子和舌頭被刺到
最常見的一支：被刺到的是鼻腔和舌頭。這也是學習者最先會遇到的用法。
adjective · B2
Having a smell or a taste that is very strong and sharp, so that you notice it at once and it seems to sting the inside of your nose or your tongue.
刺鼻的、嗆的
核心畫面
One way to hold this word: something with a point, pressing into you. Open a jar of vinegar and the smell does not drift over — it goes straight up your nose and pricks. That small sharp pressure is the whole word. Wherever pungent turns up, something is being pricked: the inside of your nose, your tongue, someone's pride after one short remark, or your thumb on the edge of a hard leaf.
可以想成有個尖尖的東西，正在往你身上壓。打開一罐醋，那個味道不是慢慢飄過來的，它直接衝上鼻子，扎你一下。那一下細細的…更多收起
可以想成有個尖尖的東西，正在往你身上壓。打開一罐醋，那個味道不是慢慢飄過來的，它直接衝上鼻子，扎你一下。那一下細細的、尖尖的壓力，就是這個字的全部。pungent 出現的地方，一定有什麼被扎到：可能是鼻腔，可能是舌頭，可能是別人聽完一句短評之後的面子，也可能是你摸到硬葉子邊緣的那根手指。From the word’s history
Borrowed from Latin pungens, from pungo, to sting; it is a doublet of poignant.
資料上寫，這個字借自拉丁文 pungens，來自 pungo，意思就是「刺」，而且和 poignant 是同一個來源的雙生字。所以這個字不是後來才發展出「刺」的感覺——它從頭到尾就是那個字。
Wiktionary etymology for pungent (packet evidence): Borrowed from Latin pungens (stem pungent-), present participle of pungo (to sting). Doublet of poignant.
Three branches
話語上的刺
同一根針換了目標：不再扎鼻子，而是扎人。會痛的原因不是音量，是準度。
adjective · C1
Describing speech or writing that is sharp, clever and direct, and that usually criticises someone or something strongly.
（言詞）犀利的
形狀上真的有尖刺（植物）
在這一支裡，核心畫面不是比喻。葉子末端真的收成一個硬尖，真的會扎到手，離拉丁文 pungo（刺）最近。
adjective · C2
In writing about plants: ending in a sharp, stiff point that can prick you.
（植物）尖刺的