Where does “fife” come from?
fife (Finnish) comes from English Fife, from German Pfeife, from Middle High German pfīfe, from Old High German pfīfa, from Proto-West Germanic *pīpā, from Vulgar Latin pipa, from Latin pipo — I pip, peep.
fife (Finnish): fife
Definitions
- fife
Ancestry of “fife”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fife | succeeded by Fife Region in 1975, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with landward boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire |
| 2 | German | Pfeife | whistle; pipe |
| 3 | Middle High German | pfīfe | — |
| 4 | Old High German | pfīfa | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *pīpā | flute |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | pipa | pipe |
| 7 | Latin | pipo | I pip, peep |