Etymograph

English

fidge

Fidge may come from Middle English fiken ‘to jitter’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fiken‘to jitter’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1881–1882fidge

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fiken‘to jitter’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1881–1882fidge

Earliest quotation: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island: “Look, Jim, how my fingers fidges," he continued in…”

The story

Probably an assibilated form of Middle English fiken (‘to jitter; move restlessly; hustle; flinch; hasten away’), perhaps related to Old English befician (‘to deceive’) or from Old Norse fika (‘to climb up nimbly, as a spider’), akin to Norwegian fika (‘to strive after’), Swedish fika (‘to strive for; hurry’).

Every English word from Middle English fiken

Today it means

verb To fidget; jostle or shake.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Middle English fiken / fidge

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