Where does “fiend” come from?

Fiend comes from Middle English fend, from Old English fēond, from Proto-Germanic fijandz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₁-.

fiend (English): A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical...

Definitions

  1. A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical...

Ancestry of “fiend”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfēndAn enemy, foe or fiend
2Old Englishfēondenemy; adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil,...
3Proto-Germanic*fijand—
4Proto-Germanicfijandzenemy, fiend
5Proto-Germanicfijānąto hate; to dislike
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₁-to hate, hurt

Words derived from “fiend”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₁- →