English
Fish
Fish comes from German Fisch, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- ‘to paint, mark’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peyḱ-‘to paint, mark’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pisk-ó-sreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fiskazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fiskreconstructed
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050fisk
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350visch
- Germanc. 1650–presentFisch
- EnglishtodayFish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peyḱ-‘to paint, mark’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pisk-ó-sreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fiskazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fiskreconstructed
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050fisk
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350visch
- Germanc. 1650–presentFisch
- EnglishtodayFish
The story
It could also be an Americanized spelling of German Fisch.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- ‘to paint, mark’
picture, paint, file, pint, feud, depiction, depict, pigment, pictorial, pimento, piscina, 27 more
Today it means
name A surname.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- / Fish