fight

fight · verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*peḱ-“to comb, shear”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fehtaną“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*fehtan“to fight”
4. Old English · inherited fromfeohtan“to fight, combat, strive”
5. Middle English · inherited fromfighten“to fight”
6. English todayfight

From Middle English fighten (“to fight”), from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to comb, shear”). Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fence”), Danish fægte (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons)”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk fekte (“to fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pectō (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek πέκω (pékō, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).

fight · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fehtaną“to struggle with”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fehtą
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*fehtan“to fight”
4. Old English · inherited fromfeoht
5. Middle English · inherited fromfight
6. English todayfight

From Middle English fight, feyght, fiȝt, fecht, from Old English feoht, ġefeoht (“fight”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtą, *gafehtą (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht (“fight”), German Gefecht (“fight”).

Words from the same roots