Where does “fend” come from?
Fend comes from Middle English fend, from Old English fēond, from Latin defendo meaning "to ward off," derived from Latin de- "away" and the Proto-Indo-European root peh₁-.
fend (English): To take care of oneself; to take responsibility...
Definitions
- To take care of oneself; to take responsibility...
Ancestry of “fend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fēnd | — |
| 2 | Old English | fēond | enemy; adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *fijand | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fijandz | enemy, fiend |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fijāną | to hate; to dislike |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |
Words derived from “fend”