An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Feind

by Friedrich Kluge

Feind, m., ‘enemy, foe, fiend,’ from MidHG. vînt, vîent, vîant, OHG. fîant, m., ‘enemy’; the common Teut. noun for ‘enemy’; comp. OSax. fîund, AS. feónd, E. fiend, OIc. fjánde, Goth. fijands. In contrast to Lat. hostis, discussed under Gast, the Teut. designates his enemy according to the disposition of the latter; Feind (pres. part. of the Sans. root pî, pîy, ‘to scorn, hate’) is lit. ‘the hater’; comp. OHG. fîen, AS. feógan, Goth. fijan, ‘to hate,’ akin to Goth. faian, ‘to blame.’ Fehde is perhaps allied to it; for the transformation of the pres. part. into a subst. comp. also Freund, Weigand, and Heiland.