From OE 'feohtan,' a purely Germanic verb — German 'fechten' narrowed to fencing; English kept the broad sense of combat.
To take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons; to contend or struggle vigorously.
From Old English 'feohtan' meaning 'to fight, to combat, to strive,' from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (to fight), of uncertain deeper origin but possibly connected to PIE *peḱ- meaning 'to pluck, to pull hair or wool.' If this connection holds, the original image was of combatants grabbing and tearing at each other — hair-pulling as the primal form of fighting. The word has cognates across the Germanic languages but no secure connections outside them. Key roots: *fehtaną (Proto-Germanic: "to fight, to combat