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pugilist (n.)

1789, from Latin pugil "boxer, fist-fighter," related to pugnus "a fist" (from suffixed form of PIE root *peuk- "to prick") + -ist. Related: Pugilistic (1789); pugilistically. Pugil occasionally turns up in English as "boxer, fist-fighter" (from 1640s), but it has not caught on. Pugil stick (1962) was introduced by U.S. military as a substitute for rifles in bayonet drills.

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Definitions of pugilist from WordNet

pugilist (n.)
someone who fights with his fists for sport;
Synonyms: boxer
From wordnet.princeton.edu