fif (Old English)

Where does "fif" come from?

The Old English word 'fif' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'pénkʷe', which may have originally described the concept of a fist or the whole hand. This root evolved into the Proto-Germanic 'fimf' and subsequently the Proto-West Germanic 'fimf' before settling into the Old English form. Its history reflects a long linguistic journey that links the number five directly to the human hand.

Full etymology tree

• fif (Old English), 'five'
  • inherited *fimf (Proto-West Germanic), 'five'
    • inherited *fimf (Proto-Germanic), 'five'
      • inherited *pémpe (Pre-Germanic)
        • inherited *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European), 'five'

Direct ancestors

• fimf (Proto-West Germanic)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris