English
fet
Fet comes from Old English fetian ‘to bring, fetch’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘foot’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-1‘foot’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fatōną1‘to fetch’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fatōn1reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fetian2‘to bring, fetch’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fetten2
- Englishearliest quotation 1596fet2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Old English fetian
- 2 Wiktionary, English fet
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book V, Canto III: “And from the other fiftie soone the prisoner fet”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-Wiktionary, Old English fetian‘foot’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fatōnąWiktionary, Old English fetian‘to fetch’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fatōnWiktionary, Old English fetianreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fetianWiktionary, English fet‘to bring, fetch’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fettenWiktionary, English fet
- Englishearliest quotation 1596fetWiktionary, English fet. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book V, Canto III: “And from the other fiftie soone the prisoner fet”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘foot’
foot, pilot, pie, feet, expedition, pioneer, pedestrian, pedal, podium, impeachment, pawn, pew, pedigree, impede, pug, expedite, impediment, pes, baht, ped, centipede, pedicure, peon, puy, petiole, pada, pedicel, pedicle, poy, tripos, biped, pedometer, quadruped, fetter, 50 more
through Proto-West Germanic *fatōn
Today it means
verb To fetch.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fet”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English fetian. 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 *ped- / fet