feeze

feeze · noun¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromfese
2. English todayfeeze

From Middle English fese, from the verb (see below).

feeze · verb²

1. Old English · inherited fromfēsian
2. Middle English · inherited fromfesen
3. English todayfeeze

From Middle English fesen, from Old English fēsian, fȳsian (“to drive away, put to flight”), variants of fēsan, fȳsan (“to hasten, rush; to incite, stimulate, send forth, drive away”), of disputed origin. Doublet of faze.

feeze · verb³

1. Latin · derived fromvītis“vine”
2. Old French · derived fromvis
3. Middle Dutch · derived fromvise“screw, windlass, winch”
4. Dutch · derived fromvijs“screw”
5. Scots · derived fromfize“screw”
6. Scots · borrowed fromfeeze
7. English todayfeeze

From Scots feeze, from Old Scots fize (“screw”, noun), from Dutch vijs (“screw”), from Middle Dutch vise (“screw, windlass, winch”), from Old French vis, viz (“vise, vice”), from Latin vītis (“vine”). Doublet of vice, vise, and withe.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from ca. 1405 A rush, impetus, or a violent impact; also, a rub.
• from 1609 To beat; to chastise.
• from 1806 To twist or turn with a screw-like motion; to screw.
• from 1813 To insinuate.