Fang
/fæŋ/noun
A long, pointed tooth used for biting or tearing.
Did you know?English **fang** comes from an old Germanic word for a grasping or taking action, and it is historically related to words like **find**, **fetch**, and **fawn** through a deep Indo-European root about seizing or taking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*penk- / *pank-
“to seize, take, catch”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fangaz
“a taking, capture; something seized”
Old English
English
fang
“a grip, seizure; later, a tooth or tusk”
Middle English
English
fang
“a long tooth, especially one used for biting”
Modern English
English
fang
“a long, pointed tooth used for tearing”