Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “finger” come from?

finger (Middle English) comes from Middle English fynger, from Old English finger, from Proto-West Germanic fingr, from Proto-Germanic fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European penkʷrós.

finger (Middle English): Alternative form of fynger

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of fynger

Ancestry of “finger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfyngerA finger; The toes; Something unimportant, small,...
2Old Englishfingerfinger
3Proto-West Germanicfingrfinger
4Proto-Germanicfingrazfinger
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpenkʷrós—

Words derived from “finger”

  • fingers
  • finger
  • forefinger
  • fingered
  • fingerprint
  • fingering
  • fingerprinting
  • fingertip
  • fingernail
  • fingerboard
  • fingerlike
  • fingerless
  • fingerspelling
  • fingerpost
  • fingerstick
  • fingerbreadth
  • interfinger
  • fingerspell
  • fingerful
  • butterfingers
  • ladyfinger
  • fingerhold
  • fingerstyle
  • fingerpaint
Every word from Proto-Indo-European penkʷrós →