Where does “fife” come from?

Fife comes from German Pfeife, from Middle High German pfīfe, from Old High German pfīfa, from Proto-Germanic pīpǭ, from Latin pipio, ultimately from Latin pipo.

fife (English): A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo...

Definitions

  1. A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo...

Ancestry of “fife”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanPfeifewhistle; pipe
2Middle High Germanpfīfe—
3Old High Germanpfīfa—
4Proto-West Germanic*pīpāflute
5Vulgar Latinpipapipe
6LatinpipoI pip, peep

Words derived from “fife”

Every word from Latin pipo →