Feud
/fjuːd/noun
A prolonged quarrel or bitter conflict between people or groups.
Did you know?The word ultimately goes back to a Germanic root meaning “to love” or “to be fond of,” a reminder that some of history’s worst conflicts began inside bonds of trust.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fehu-
“cattle, property; wealth”
Old English
OE
fēoh
“cattle, property, wealth”
Old English
OE
fēud / fēoht
“hostility, contention, feud”
Old French
OF
feud / feid
“feud, hostility, enmity”
Middle English
ME
feud
“a state of bitter enmity or private war”
Modern English
English
feud
“a prolonged and bitter quarrel or conflict”