fighter

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈfaɪ.tə/, US /ˈfaɪ.t̬ɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English fightere, inherited from Old English feohtere, an agent noun formed from Old English feohtan + -ere (see fight).^[2][3] Dutch vechter and German Fechter are comparable;^[2] Old English also had feohtling in this sense.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who fights, a warrior: about 1300 in the OED, the 13th century in MWU.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

A pugnacious person or brawler is from about 1400,^[4] and a hired fighter or bully from 1611.^[4] A professional boxer is a fighter in modern use.^[5][6] A fast military aircraft for aerial combat is from 1917,^[2][4] with fighter escort, patrol and pilot from 1941 in the OED.^[4] A determined person who never gives up is also a fighter.^[5][6]

Timeline

• c. 1300 – a warrior.^[4]
• c. 1400 – a brawler.^[4]
• 1611 – a hired champion.^[4]
• 1917 – a fighter aircraft.^[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who fights, especially a boxer or soldier.
2. A fast military aircraft designed to attack other aircraft.
3. A person who is determined and does not give up easily.

Word family

• fighter-bomber
• fighter-interceptor
• crime-fighter
• bullfighter
• gunfighter
• nonfighter
• freedom fighter
• street fighter

Related words

• fight
• firefighter
• prizefighter

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins