fighten

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Verb

fighten (third-person singular simple present fighteth, present participle fightende, simple past 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
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