Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/104

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Faust, f., ‘fist,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and MidLG. vûst. OHG. fûst, f.; corresponds to AS. fŷst, E. fist, Du. vuist. This term, common to West Teut., is unknown to OIc.; in Goth. it may have been *fûsti- or *fûhsti-, f. The possible loss of a h before st is supported by the connection with Gr. πύξ, ‘with the fist,’ πύγμαχος, ‘boxer,’ πυγμή, ‘fist, boxing,’ Lat. pugnus, ‘fist,’ pŭgil, ‘boxer,’ perhaps also pugio, ‘dagger’ (lit. ‘fist weapon’), and further pugna, pugnare, &c. The comparison of Faust with OSlov. pęstĭ, f., ‘fist,’ is less trustworthy; this is possible only if the assumed Goth. *fûhsti is further derived from fuñhsti-, pre-Teut. pnkstí-; in that case, however, the Gr. and Lat. terms cited would have no connection with the word.

Faxe, plur., ‘fooleries, tricks,’ ModHG. only; of obscure origin.

fechten, vb., ‘to fight, fence,’ from the equiv. MidHG. vëhten, OHG. fëhtan; a term common to West Teut. for ‘to fight, contend,’ unknown to Scand. and Goth.; comp. Du. and MidHG. vechten, OFris. fluchta, AS. feohtan, E. to fight. Whether the verb has always belonged to the e class is questionable; it may have passed from the pret. plur. and partic. of the u class into the e class; in that case, we should have to assume Goth. *fiuhtan, *fáuht, *faúhtum, *faúhtans, instead of *faíhtan, *faht, *faúhtam, *faúhtans. This conceivable assumption facilitates the connection with Lat. pugna, pugnare; yet the latter are probably only derivatives of pugnus, ‘fist’; perhaps the inferred Goth. *fiuhtan, ‘to fight,’ is similarly related to Faust.

Feder, f., ‘feather, pen, plume, spring, flaw (in jewels),’ from the equiv. MidHG. vëder, vëdere, OHG. fëdara, f.; the term common to Teut. for ‘feather’; comp. OSax. fëthara, AS. fëþer, f., ‘feather, wing,’ E. feather, OIc. fjǫþr, f., Goth. *fiþra, f., akin to the collective noun Gefieder (see Fittich). Goth. *fiþra, from pre-Teut. pétrâ, f., has in the allied Aryan languages some correspondences which prove the existence of an Aryan root pet, ‘to fly’; comp. the Sans. root pat, ‘to fly,’ pátatra, n., ‘wing,’ patará, adj., ‘flying,’ çatápatra, ‘having a hundred wings or feathers,’ Gr. πέτομαι, ‘to fly,’ πτερόν (for *πετερόν), ‘wing,’ πτίλον (for *πετίλον), ‘feather’; it is less certain whether Lat. penna, ‘feather’ (for *petsna?), is allied. See Fittich. —

Federlesen, n., lit. ‘picking of the feather from

a person's dress’ as a mark of servile flattery; found even in MidHG. —

Federspiel, n., ‘lure,’ from MidHG. vëderspil, n., ‘a bird trained for hawking, falcon, sparrow-hawk, hawk.’

Fee, Fei, f., ‘fairy,’ from the equiv. MidHG. fei, feie, f.; borrowed from an OFr. dialect (Burgund.), feie, ModFr. fée (Ital. and Romance, fata, lit. ‘goddess of destiny,’ from Lat. fatum), whence also E. fay and fairy.

Fegefeuer, n., ‘purgatory,’ from MidHG. vëgeviur, n., ‘purgatory,’ from MidHG. vëgen, ‘to purify’; formed on the model of MidLat. purgatorium.

fegen, vb., ‘to sweep, scour, winnow (corn), purge,’ from MidHG. vëgen (OHG. *fegôn), ‘to purify, adorn, sweep, scour,’ Du. vegen. Goth. *figôn is connected with Goth. fagrs, ‘suitable,’ AS. fœ̂ger, E. fair, OHG. and OSax. fagar; from the root feh, fah, fag, fôg in fügen; OIc. fœgja, ‘to cleanse,’ probably belongs to the same root (the Goth. form being fégjan); Aryan root, pē̆k, pō̆k?.

Fehde, f., ‘feud,’ from MidHG. vêhede, vêde, OHG. fêhida, ‘hate, enmity, quarrel, feud’; corresponds to AS. fœ̂hþ, f., ‘enmity, revenge, feud’; Goth *faihiþa, ‘enmity,’ is probably an abstract noun from the Goth. adj. *faihs, ‘hostile,’ which appears in AS. as fâh, fâg, ‘exiled, outlawed, proscribed’ (AS. gefâa, m., ‘enemy,’ E. foe; comp. OHG. gifêh, MidHG. gevêch, ‘hostile, malignant’). A pre-Teut. root, pī̆q, ‘to injure, cheat’ (comp. also Goth. faih, ‘imposition, deception,’ bifaihôn, ‘to deceive, overreach’), is indicated by the Lith.; comp. Lith. pìktas, ‘angry,’ pýkti, ‘to get angry,’ peíkti, ‘to curse,’ paíkas, ‘stupid’ (akin to Pruss. po-paikâ, ‘he cheats’). Respecting the interchange of meaning between ‘to injure’ and ‘to deceive,’ see trügen. Hence E. foe is lit. ‘one who injures,’ OHG. fêhida, lit. ‘hurt, injury.’

fehlen, vb., ‘to miss, want, err,’ from MidHG. vêlen, vœlen, ‘to fail, mistake, cheat, be wanting, miss’; borrowed in the MidHG. period (about 1200 A.D.) from Fr. faillir, ‘to fail, miss, deceive,’ which again, like Ital. fallire, is derived from Lat. fallere. The word was also adopted by E. in the 13th cent.; comp. E. fail, likewise Du. feilen, ‘to fail, miss, deceive,’ Scand. (since the 14th cent.), feila.

Fehme, f., ‘criminal tribunal’ (in West-