fist

CEFRB2

/fɪst/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A hand with the fingers closed tightly.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Synonym of manicule.

Examples

  • He shook his fist in a symbolic gesture of defiance.

  • The speaker banged the table with his fist.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The characteristic signaling rhythm of an individual telegraph or CW operator when sending Morse code.

  2. A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.

  3. A group of men.

More examples

In context

  • The stockholders are making money hand over fist.

  • ...may not score a point with his open hand(s), but may score a point by fisting the ball.

  • The boxer's fists rained down on his opponent in the last round.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

He clenched his blank tightly, ready to defend himself from the sudden attack.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti (“fist”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to punch; to prick, stab”). Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), West Frisian fûst (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bòista, vòista (“fist”), Dutch vuist (“fist”), German Faust (“fist”), Low German Fuust (“fist”), Luxembourgish Fauscht (“fist”), Vilamovian faojst, faust (“fist”), Yiddish פֿויסט (foyst, “fist”); also Irish fuaigh (“sew, stitch”), Latin pugnus (“fist”), Ancient Greek πυγμή (pugmḗ, “fist”), πύκτης (púktēs, “boxer, pugilist”), Lithuanian kumš...