Etymograph

English

fetter

Fetter comes from Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to step, walk’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-1‘to step, walk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*feturaz1reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150feter1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feter1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1675fetter1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fetter
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: “Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-Wiktionary, English fetter‘to step, walk’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*feturazWiktionary, English fetterreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150feterWiktionary, English fetter
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500feterWiktionary, English fetter
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1675fetterWiktionary, English fetter. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: “Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to step, walk’

foot, pilot, feet, pie, expedition, pedestrian, pioneer, pedal, podium, impeachment, pawn, pew, pedigree, impede, fetch, pug, impediment, pes, baht, expedite, ped, centipede, pedicure, peon, petiole, puy, pada, pedicel, pedicle, poy, tripos, fet, biped, quadruped, pedometer, 50 more

Today it means

noun A chain or similar object used to bind a person or animal, often by its legs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fetter”. 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- / fetter

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