fitchew

F4I1T1C3H4E1W4

noun

polecat

OriginMiddle English fitchewes ← Old French fissiauls ← Middle Dutch vitsche →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

fitchew1

nounfitchew (plural fitchews)

plural fitchews

  1. obsoletepolecat

Fitchew2

proper noun
  1. A surname originating as a patronymic.

Origin

fitchew · noun

  1. Latinvissiō“stench”
  2. Middle Dutchvitsche
  3. Old Frenchfissiauls
  4. Middle Englishfitchewes
  5. Englishfitchew

From Middle English fitchewes (mistaken as a plural), variant of Middle English fichouse, ficheux, from Old French fissiauls (plural) and fichau, fissel (“polecat”), from Middle Dutch vitsche, visse, fisse (“polecat”), ultimately (via a Northern French dialect) from Latin vissiō (“stench”). Compare French vison (“mink”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Middle Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Fitchew · proper noun

Rare spelling variant of Fitzhugh.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fitchew. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fitchew

MLA

“fitchew.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fitchew. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fitchew,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fitchew.

Source: fitchew on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.