'pummel' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'pomel' (later 'pommel'), where 'pomel' meant 'little apple' or 'knob'.

'pummel' changed from Old/Middle French 'pomel'/'pommel' (meaning a small rounded knob) into Middle English forms such as 'pommelen' and eventually developed into the modern English verb 'pummel'.

Initially, it meant 'a small rounded object or knob' (like the pommel of a sword); over time the sense shifted to 'strike with the pommel or with the fist,' and it evolved into the current meaning 'to beat repeatedly'.