Etymograph

English

feague

Feague comes from Dutch vegen ‘to sweep, strike’, from Middle Dutch vēghen ‘to cleanse’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pōḱ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pōḱ-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faginōną1‘to decorate, make beautiful’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faginōn1‘to gladden, rejoice’reconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150*fegōn1‘to cleanse’reconstructed
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500vēghen1‘to cleanse’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentvegen1‘to sweep, strike’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1600feague1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English feague
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1600, Anthony Munday, Michael Drayton: “Dol[l]. (aside). Oh, if I wist this old priest…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pōḱ-Wiktionary, English feaguereconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faginōnąWiktionary, English feague‘to decorate, make beautiful’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faginōnWiktionary, English feague‘to gladden, rejoice’reconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150*fegōnWiktionary, English feague‘to cleanse’reconstructed
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500vēghenWiktionary, English feague‘to cleanse’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentvegenWiktionary, English feague‘to sweep, strike’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1600feagueWiktionary, English feague. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1600, Anthony Munday, Michael Drayton: “Dol[l]. (aside). Oh, if I wist this old priest…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pōḱ-

fay, fey

through Proto-West Germanic *faginōn ‘to gladden, rejoice’

fawn, fain

Today it means

verb To increase the liveliness of a horse by inserting an irritant, such as a piece of peeled raw ginger or a live eel, in its anus.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “feague”. 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-Indo-European *pōḱ- / feague

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