fynger
Middle English
Alternative forms
- finger, vinger, fyngir, fyngur, fyngyr, fiyngir, ffynger
Etymology
Inherited from Old English finger, from Proto-West Germanic *fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfinɡər/, [ˈfiŋɡər]
Noun
fynger (plural fyngres or fyngers)
- A finger (mobile extensions of the hand):
- a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Psalm 143:1”, in Wycliffe's Bible:
- Blessid be my Lord God, that techith myn hondis to werre and my fyngris to batel.
- Blessed be my Lord God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to battle.
- a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Merchant's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, line 2209-2210:
- And with hir fynger signes made she / That Damyan sholde clymbe upon a tree
- And with her finger she made signs / That Damian should climb onto a tree
-
- The fingers as a representation of divine craftsmanship.
- A digit or finger (unit of length around as long or wide as a finger).
- (rare) The toes (usually of non-humans)
- (rare) Something unimportant, small, or meagre.
- (rare) A protruding extension or point.
Usage notes
In Middle English, the fyngres are usually considered to include the thumb.
Descendants
- English: finger
- Sranan Tongo: finga
- Scots: finger
- Yola: vinger
References
- “finger, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-15.