Where does “fisticuff” come from?

fisticuff (English) comes from English fist, from Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst, from Proto-West Germanic fūsti, from Proto-Germanic funstiz, from Proto-Indo-European pnsti-, from Proto-Indo-European pnksti-, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe — five.

fisticuff (English): A fistfight; A cuff or blow administered with the...

Definitions

  1. A fistfight; A cuff or blow administered with the...

Ancestry of “fisticuff”, step by step

fisticuff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fist

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

via English cuff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcuffglove; mitten; the end of a shirt sleeve that...
2Middle Englishcuffeglove
3Old Englishcuffiehood, cap

Words derived from “fisticuff”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe →
fisticuff — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer