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
- The amount that can be held in a closed fist; A...
Ancestry of “fistful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fist | A hand with the fingers clenched or curled... |
| 2 | Middle English | fist | — |
| 3 | Old English | fȳst | fist |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fūsti | fist |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | funstiz | fist |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pnsti- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pnksti- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pénkʷe | five |