Where does “fist” come from?

Fist comes from Middle English fisten, from Old English fistan, from Proto-Germanic fistaz, from Proto-Germanic fīsaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys-, from Proto-Indo-European pnksti-, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe.

fist (English): A hand with the fingers clenched or curled...

Definitions

  1. A hand with the fingers clenched or curled...

Ancestry of “fist”, step by step

fist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English fist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfistfist
2Old Englishfȳstfist
3Proto-West Germanicfūstifist
4Proto-Germanicfunstizfist
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpnsti-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpnksti-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive

via Middle English fisten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfisten—
2Old Englishfistan—
3Proto-Germanicfistazbreaking wind, fart
4Proto-Germanicfīsanąto blow; to fart
5Proto-Indo-European(s)peys-to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;...

Words derived from “fist”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe →