Where does “fēnd” come from?
fēnd (Middle English) comes from Old English fēond, from Proto-Germanic *fijand, from Proto-Germanic fijandz, from Proto-Germanic fijāną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₁- — to hate, hurt.
Ancestry of “fēnd”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | fēond | enemy; adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil,... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | *fijand | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fijandz | enemy, fiend |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fijāną | to hate; to dislike |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |