Etymology

fob

F4O1B3

Today it means: A little pocket near the waistline of a pair of trousers or in a waistcoat or vest to hold money or valuables, especially a pocket watch. Full definition →

Low German Fobke ← Proto-Germanic *fikkja ← Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-
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fob · noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromfigere“to fix, fasten”
  2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pewǵ-“to assail, strike”
  3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fikkja
  4. Low German · derived fromFobke“pocket”
  5. English todayfob

From Low German Fobke (“pocket”) or High Prussian Fuppe (“pocket”), probably related to Swedish ficka (“pocket”), Old Danish fikke, Alemannic German figge, Middle Dutch vicke, all from Proto-Germanic *fikkja, of uncertain ultimate origin: * possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to assail, strike”), related to *fukkōną (“to strike”); * or of Romance origin, from Latin figere (“to fix, fasten”), possibly via an old form of Italian ficcare. Also see Ficke.

fob · verb2

  1. German · derived fromfoppen“to mock”
  2. English todayfob

From German foppen (“to mock”).

fob · adjective3

Abbreviation.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*pewǵ- all →

fistpugilist

Latinfigere all →

fit-fix

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.