fighten

Middle English

Alternative forms

• fehten, feghten, feighten, fihhtenn, fiȝten

Etymology

From Old English feohtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną.

Verb

fighten (third-person singular simple present fighteth, present participle fightende, first-/third-person singular past indicative faught, past participle foughten). Simple past faght and past participle foghten also occur. The present participle ending of Middle English varied with location.

1. to fight; to battle; to quarrel

   • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Psalms 108:1-3”, in Wycliffe's Bible:

     The title of the hundrid and eiȝtthe ſalm. To victorye, the ſalm of Dauid. / God, holde thou not ſtille my preiſyng; for the mouth of the ſynner, and the mouth of the gileful man is openyd on me. / Thei ſpaken ayens me with a gileful tunge, and thei cumpassiden me with wordis of hatrede; and fouȝten ayens me with out cauſe.

     The title of the one hundred and eighth psalm: "To Victory; the Psalm of David". / God; don't hold still my praising, as the mouths of the sinners and the mouths of the guilty have opened against me. / They spoke against me with a guilty tongue, they acted against me with words of hatred, and they fought against me without justification.

Descendants

• Scots: fecht, ficht
• English: fight