Where does “fend off” come from?
fend off (English) comes from English fend, from Middle English fēnd, from Old English fēond, from Proto-Germanic *fijand, from Proto-Germanic fijandz, from Proto-Germanic fijāną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₁- — to hate, hurt.
fend off (English): To defend against; to repel with force or effort;...
Definitions
- To defend against; to repel with force or effort;...
Ancestry of “fend off”, step by step
fend off traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fend
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fend | To take care of oneself; to take responsibility... |
| 2 | Middle English | fēnd | An enemy, foe or fiend |
| 3 | Old English | fēond | enemy; adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *fijand | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fijandz | enemy, fiend |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fijāną | to hate; to dislike |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |