fist

Etymology 1

From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Fääste (“fist”), West Frisian fûst (“fist”), Dutch vuist (“fist”), German Low German Fuust (“fist”), German Faust (“fist”). More at five.

noun

1. A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
   The boxer's fists rained down on his opponent in the last round.
2. (printing) The pointing hand symbol ☞.
3. (amateur radio) The characteristic signaling rhythm of an individual telegraph or CW operator when sending Morse code.
4. (slang) A person's characteristic handwriting.
5. A group of men.
6. The talons of a bird of prey.
7. (informal) An attempt at something.
   City look stronger, fitter and more motivated than last season and even at this early stage the gap feels like a sizeable advantage. Yes, it is way too early to make snap judgments about the impact on the title race. It has, however, been long enough to ascertain that Manuel Pellegrini’s team are going to make a much better fist of it this time. 16 August 2015, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian
   With the rise of cognitive neuroscience, the time may be coming when we can make a reasonable fist of mapping down from an understanding of the functional architecture of the mind to the structural architecture of the brain. 2005, Darryl N. Davis, Visions of Mind: Architectures for Cognition and Affect, page 144

verb

1. To strike with the fist.
   ...may not score a point with his open hand(s), but may score a point by fisting the ball. Damian Cullen. "Running the rule." The Irish Times 18 Aug 2003, pg. 52.
2. To close (the hand) into a fist.
   He noticed Ada's trick of hiding her fingernails by fisting her hand or stretching it with the palm turned upward when helping herself to a biscuit. 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 29
3. To grip with a fist.
4. (slang) To fist-fuck.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fisten, fiesten, from Old English *fistan ("to break wind gently"; supported by Old English fisting (“breaking wind”)), from Proto-Germanic *fistaz (“breaking wind, fart”), from Proto-Germanic *fīsaną (“to break or discharge wind, fart”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Cognate with Dutch veest (“a fart”), Low German fīsten (“to break wind”), German Fist (“a quiet wind”), Fisten (“breaking wind”), Swedish fisa (“to fart”), Latin spīrō (“breathe, blow”).

verb

1. (intransitive) To break wind.

noun

1. The act of breaking wind; fise.
2. A puffball.