English
fanger
Fanger comes from Middle English fongen ‘to grasp or seize’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *fanhaną.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fanhaną1‘to take, to seize’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fōn1‘to take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make prisoner, receive, accept, assume, undertake’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fongen2‘to grasp or seize’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fanger3
- Englishtodayfanger3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Middle English fongen
- 2 Wiktionary, Middle English fonger
- 3 Wiktionary, English fanger
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fanhanąWiktionary, Middle English fongen‘to take, to seize’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fōnWiktionary, Middle English fongen‘to take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make prisoner, receive, accept, assume, undertake’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fongenWiktionary, Middle English fonger‘to grasp or seize’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fangerWiktionary, English fanger
- EnglishtodayfangerWiktionary, English fanger
Formed from fang ‘to catch’ + -er
Proto-Germanic *fanhaną ‘to take, to seize’
Proto-West Germanic *fą̄han ‘to take, to seize’
Old English fōn ‘to catch, take, seize’
Old English fengtōþ ‘molar tooth’
Middle English *fangtooth
English fang
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- ‘secure, attach, strengthen’
peace, fair, pace, pact, repay, pax, pacifist, fay, pacifism, pogue, 8 more
through Proto-Germanic *fanhaną ‘to take, to seize’
through Old English fōn ‘to take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make…’
Today it means
noun A receiver.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fanger”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Middle English fongen, Middle English fonger. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *fanhaną / fanger