fechten

See also: Fechten

German

Etymology

From Old High German fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-. Cognate to Low German fechten, Dutch vechten, English fight, Danish fegte, Norwegian Bokmål fekte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛçtən/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. (intransitive) to fence
2. (intransitive, poetic) to fight
   • 1772, Salomon Geßner, Neue Idyllen:

     Einer, der neben mir focht, sah rückwärts, rafft' auf seine Schulter mich, und lief mit mir aus der Schlacht. Ein frommer Ordensmann betete nicht weit auf einem Fels um unsern Sieg: Pflege diesen, Vater, er hat gefochten wie ein Mann!

     One who fought next to me, looked backward, gather'd me up on his shoulder, and ran with me from the battle. A devout man of God prayed not far on a rock for our victory: Look after this one, father, he has fought like a man!

   • (Can we date this quote?), Shakespeare, translated by August Wilhelm Schlegel, Julius Caesar:

     Ich hörte wilden Lärm, als föchte man, Und der Wind bringt vom Kapitol ihn her.

     I heard a bustling rumour, as if one fought, and the wind brings it from the Capitol.

   • 1930, “act 1, scene 11”, in Bertolt Brecht (lyrics), Kurt Weil (music), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny:

     Haltet euch aufrecht, fürchtet euch nicht / Brüder, erlischt auch das irdische Licht / wollt nicht verzagen, / was hilft alles klagen / dem, der gegen Hurrikane ficht.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (intransitive, cant) to beg

   Synonym: betteln

Usage notes

• For the 2nd and 3rd person singular there are two sets of forms: regularized (du fechtest, er fechtet) and traditional (du fichtst, er ficht). Only the traditional forms are standard, and they remain favoured in literary German, but are rare in the vernacular and might even be unintelligible to many less educated speakers.
• Only the traditional forms are used in the sense “to fight”, which is by definition literary.

Derived terms

• anfechten
• ausfechten
• Fechten n (“fencing”)
• Gefecht n (“battle”)

Descendants

• → Russian: фехтовать (fextovatʹ)

Related terms

• Fuchtel
• fuchteln

Further reading

• “fechten” in Duden online

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Low German

Etymology

From Middle Low German vechten, from Old Saxon fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-. Cognate with English fight, German fechten, Dutch vechten, West Frisian fjuchte, Danish fegte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛxtn̩/

Verb

fechten (past singular fecht or focht, past participle fecht or fochten, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. to fight, to combat, to wage battle
2. to fence
3. to struggle
4. to brawl

Conjugation

Conjugation of fechten (weak verb)

infinitive	fechten
indicative	present	preterite
1st person singular	fecht	fecht
2nd person singular	fechtst	fechtst
3rd person singular	fecht	fecht
plural	fecht	fechten
imperative	present	—
singular	fecht
plural	fecht
participle	present	past
	fechten	fecht
Note: This conjugation is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Conjugation of fechten (strong class 3)

infinitive	fechten
indicative	present	preterite
1st person singular	fecht	focht
2nd person singular	fechts(t)	fochts(t)
3rd person singular	fecht(t)	focht
plural	fechtt, fechten	fochten
imperative	present	—
singular	fecht
plural	fechtt
participle	present	past
	fechten	(e)fochten, gefochten
Note: This conjugation is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Synonyms

• striden