fist

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“
I'm determined to do it; so that every one may pursue his own path, let no one be bringing any of his business in this street; for my fist is a balista, my arm is my catapulta, my shoulder a battering-ram; then against whomsoever I dart my knee, I shall bring him to the ground.

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Definitions (18)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. noun The hand closed tightly with the fingers bent against the palm.
  2. noun Informal A grasp; a clutch: had a fortune in their fists and let it go.
  3. noun Printing See index.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (9)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • Me smashed she in face with hairy fist, which is ogre way of making tryst Then me picked she up by she left leg and dragged she away, me golden egg. —  The Source of Magic
  • It felt like a fist was surrounding the organ and squeezing it to death. —  A Man Alone by Lindsay Mckenna
  • Thayer slowly lowered his fist, a puzzled expression on his face. —  forestmage
  • If you hold a hand at arm's length and make a fist, the width of your fist is about 10 degrees. —  F ;SF; - vol 093 issue 06 - December 1997
  • Whereas I tend to get frustrated and do things like bang on the hard drive with my fist, which is how I destroyed all the data on my last computer. —  Expecting Rain
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This word has been looked up 104 times.

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Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English fȳst; see penkwe in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. from Middle English fist, fyst, fust, rarely fest, from Anglo-Saxon fy¯st = OFries. fēst = Dutch vuist = Middle Low German vūst, Low German fust = Old High German fūst, Middle High German fūst, vūst, German faust, the fist. The Gothic (Moesogothic) form is not recorded; possibly *fuhstus, from fuh, thus connecting the Teutonic forms with L. pugnus, fist, pugil, a fist-fighter, pugilist, pugna, battle, etc., Greek πυγμή, the fist, πύξ, with the fist, etc.: see pugnacious, expugn, impugn, etc., pugilism, etc.; see also fight. Otherwise the Teutonic forms are prob. akin to Old Bulgarian pestĭ = Slov. pest = Polish piesc = Bohemian pest = Russian pyastĭ, fist.
  2. from fist, n.
  3. Also written fyst, feist, fiest, foist (see foist); early modern English fyest, from Middle English *fist, fyst, fyyst = Old Dutch veest, Dutch vijst = Middle Low German vīst, Low German fīst = Middle High German vist, a breaking wind; with formative -t (equivalent to the simpler form fise = Swedish Dau. fis), from the verb represented by Icelandic fīsa = Danish fise, break wind: see fise, fizz, fizzle, n. Cf. bullfist, Bovista.
  4. Also written fyst, feist, fiest, foist (see foist); from Middle English fisten, fyisten = Middle Dutch vijsten, Dutch vijsten, veesten = Middle Low German vīsten, Low German fīsten = Middle High German visten, break wind; from the noun: see fist, n., and cf. fizz, fizzle, foist, v.
 

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/fɪst/
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