"F" Word Origins

firmware

English

A blend of firm and software, coined on the model of hardware and software to name code that sits between the two.

firn

Origin

Borrowed from German Firn, from Alemannic German firn (“last year's”), from Old High German firni (“old”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *firnijaz, *fernaz (“foregoing, previous”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forth, forward, across, through”); cognate with Old English fyrn (“former”), Old Norse forn (“old”), and Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐌴𐌹𐍃 (fairneis, “old”).

first

Old English

From Old English fyrest, related to German Fürst ("prince," literally "first-born"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "before."

firstborn

Origin

From first and born.

firstcomer

Origin

From first + comer.

firsthand

Origin

From first and hand.

firstly

Middle English

From Middle English, formed from first plus -ly.

firth

Old Norse

From Scots firth, related to Old Norse fjǫrðr; a doublet of the word fjord.

fisc

Origin

Partly from Middle French fisc and partly from its etymon, Latin fiscus (“basket, money-bag, public treasury”); see fiscal.

fiscal

Latin

From Latin fiscus ("treasury, purse"), via Middle French fiscal.

fiscal year

Latin

Fiscal comes from Latin fiscalis 'of the state treasury', from fiscus, originally a basket or purse and later the public purse.

Fischer

German

From German "Fischer," meaning "fisherman."

fish

Latin

From Old English fisċ, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "fish," related to Latin piscis.

fisher

Old English

From Old English fiscere, equivalent to fish plus -er.

fisherman

Origin

From fisher and man.

fishify

Origin

From fish + -ify.

fishing

Middle English

From Middle English fischynge, from fish plus -ing.

Fishman

Middle English

From Middle English fisscheman, equivalent to fish plus man.

fishmonger

Middle English

From Middle English fisshemonger, equivalent to fish plus monger ("dealer, trader").

fishnet

Origin

From fish and net.

fishwife

Origin

From Middle English fysshewyfe; equivalent to fish + wife (“(obsolete) woman”) (see also midwife).

fishworm

Origin

From fish + worm.

fishy

Middle English

From Middle English fishi, equivalent to fish plus -y.

fisk

Old English

The "move about quickly" sense is old English dialect, probably related to words for hurrying. The "rebut line by line" sense is much newer internet slang, named after journalist Robert Fisk, whose articles were famously picked apart this way by online critics.

fissile

Origin

Borrowed from Latin fissilis.

fission

Latin

From Latin fissio, "the act of splitting," from findere, "to split" — the same root behind "fissure."

fissure

Latin

From Latin fissura, "a cleft or crack," from findere, "to split" — related to "fission."

fist

Old English

From Old English fyst, going back to a prehistoric Germanic root possibly meaning "to punch or prick."

fistfight

Origin

A straightforward compound of "fist" and "fight."

fistful

Origin

From "fist" plus the suffix "-ful," meaning "an amount that fills."

fistula

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin fistula (“pipe, ulcer, catheter”). Doublet of fester.

fit

Middle English

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to an old Middle English word for a well-matched opponent, later shifting toward the idea of things matching or suiting one another.

fitch

Dutch

A shortened form of "fitchew," ultimately from a Middle Dutch word for polecat.

fitchew

Origin

Rare spelling variant of Fitzhugh.

fitchie

Origin

Rare spelling variant of Fitzhugh.

fitful

Origin

From fit (“convulsion, seizure; sudden burst of activity”) + -ful (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly possessing the quality expressed by the noun).

fitna

Origin

Borrowed from Arabic فِتْنَة (fitna, “sedition, strife”).

fitness

Origin · 1900

From "fit" plus "-ness"; the physical exercise sense only became common in the 20th century.

fitter

Origin

From "fit" (the verb) plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning "one who fits things."

fitting

Origin

From "fit" (verb) plus "-ing."

Fitz

French

From Anglo-Norman French "fils," meaning "son."

Fitzgerald

Origin

From Fitz- + Gerald.

fitzhugh

Origin

From Fitz- + Hugh.

Fitzpatrick

Origin

Calque of the Irish surname Mac Giolla Phádraig (“son of the devotee of Saint Patrick”). By surface analysis, Fitz- + Patrick.

Fitzroy

French

From Anglo-Norman French "fils du roy," meaning "son of the king."

fitzwilliam

Origin

From Fitz- + William.

five

Old English

From Old English fif, from a very old Germanic root going all the way back to the Proto-Indo-European word for "five."

fiver

Origin

From "five" plus the suffix "-er," used for units of money.