Etymologically
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fisher

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfɪʃə/ (UK); /ˈfɪʃɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English fissher, inherited from Old English fiscere (“fisherman; kingfisher”),[2][3][4] an agent noun from the verb fish,[2][3] with similar formations in Old Norse fiskari, Dutch visser and German Fischer.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One whose work is catching fish: about 893.[5]

Semantic evolution

Figurative use, after fishers of men in Matthew iv. 19, is from about 1000.[5] An animal that catches fish is from 1562,[5] and since the word began to be used of animals, fisherman (1520s) arose.[2] A fishmonger (before 1400) is obsolete.[5] The North American marten, the pekan, is from 1796,[5] and a fishing boat from 1864.[5] Fisher is now archaic for a person, replaced by fisherman.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 893 – a fisherman.[5]
  • c. 1000 – a fisher of men.[5]
  • 1520s – fisherman.[2]
  • 1562 – a fishing animal.[5]
  • 1796 – the pekan.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (archaic) A person who fishes; a fisherman.
  2. An animal that catches fish.
  3. A dark-brown marten of northern North America, or its fur; the pekan.

Word family

  • fisherfolk
  • fisherman
  • fisherwoman
  • fishery
  • kingfisher
  • Fisher King
  • piscatory
  • piscatorial
  • fish

Usage notes

In Devon, a fisher was a sweet of apples baked in batter, named after a Bishop of Exeter, and in Somerset the heron.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  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 Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)