Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unfang” come from?

unfang (English) comes from English Fang, from English fangtooth, from Middle English fangtooth, from Old English fengtōþ, from Old English fōn, from Old Norse fanga, from Middle Low German vangen, from Proto-Germanic fangōną — he, she.

unfang (English): To deprive of fangs; To render harmless

Definitions

  1. To deprive of fangs; To render harmless

Ancestry of “unfang”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFangA people of western Africa
2EnglishfangtoothA beryciform fish of the monotypic family...
3Middle Englishfangtoothfang, canine
4Old Englishfengtōþcanine tooth
5Old Englishfōnto take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make...
6Old Norsefangato fetch, capture
7Middle Low Germanvangencaptive; to catch
8Proto-Germanicfangōnąto catch, capture
9Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
10Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
11Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
13Chichewaiyehe, she
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