Where does “fistful” come from?

Fistful derives from Middle English and Old English -ful, from Proto-Germanic -fullaz and fullaz meaning full, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill.

fistful (English): The amount that can be held in a closed fist; A...

Definitions

  1. The amount that can be held in a closed fist; A...

Ancestry of “fistful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfistA hand with the fingers clenched or curled...
2Middle Englishfistfist
3Old Englishfȳstfist
4Proto-West Germanicfūstifist
5Proto-Germanicfunstizfist
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpnsti-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpnksti-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe →