Where does “fiendishness” come from?
fiendishness (English) comes from English fiendish, from English fiend, 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.
fiendishness (English): The quality of being fiendish
Definitions
- The quality of being fiendish
Ancestry of “fiendishness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fiendish | Sinister; evil; like a fiend |
| 2 | English | fiend | A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical... |
| 3 | Middle English | fēnd | — |
| 4 | Old English | fēond | enemy; adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *fijand | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fijandz | enemy, fiend |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | fijāną | to hate; to dislike |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |