The habit of arriving on time or doing something at the expected moment; reliability in timing.
From 'punctual,' derived from Latin 'punctualis' (concerning a point), from 'punctus' (point or moment). The word refers to hitting the precise point in time, like hitting a mathematical point.
Punctuality is surprisingly modern—before clocks were precise and common, society didn't emphasize exact timing. The Industrial Revolution and railroad schedules created the obsession with punctuality we have now. Medieval people thought scheduling for an exact time was almost impossible.
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