Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fetter” come from?

Fetter comes from Old English feter, from Proto-Germanic feturaz, from Proto-Indo-European ped-, meaning foot.

fetter (English): A chain or similar object used to bind a person...

Definitions

  1. A chain or similar object used to bind a person...

Ancestry of “fetter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfetera fetter
2Proto-Germanicfeturazfetter
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpēd-foot
4Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall

Words derived from “fetter”

  • unfetter
  • fetterless
  • fetterlock
  • fetterer
  • enfetter
  • befetter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →