feist

Synonyms of feist

• SBD

Forms of feist

Origin of feist

Earliest sense is “fart”, and later “stink” as abbreviation for fysting cur “stinking dog” (1520s). From Middle English fysten (mid-15th century), from Old English. Cognate with Middle Dutch veest and Dutch vijst. Possibly from Proto-Germanic *fistiz (“a fart”), presumably from Proto-Indo-European *pesd-, though this is disputed. One explanation for the association of farting with small dogs is given in an 1811 slang dictionary, which suggests that the dogs were blamed for farting, specifically defining fice as “a small windy escape backwards, more obvious to the nose than ears; frequently by old ladies charged on their lap-dogs.” Cognate terms include German Fist (“soft fart”), Danish fise (“to blow, to fart”) and Middle English askefise (“bellows”, literally “fire-blower, ash-blower”), from Old Norse; originally “a term of reproach among northern nations for an unwarlike fellow who stayed at home in the chimney corner”.

From the German surname for stout people; see feist (“fat”).

Words formed from feist

• feisty

Phrases with feist

• feist dog
• feist dogs

Words that rhyme with feist

• iced
• christ
• diced
• geist
• heist
• deiced
• presliced
• priced
• riced
• sliced
• spiced
• twicet

Questions about feist

What does feist mean?

Feist means a small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.

What part of speech is feist?

Feist can be a noun or a proper noun.

How do you pronounce feist?

Feist is pronounced /faɪst/.

What is the plural of feist?

The plural of feist is feists.