finger

A word inherited from Germanic.

Cognate with Old Frisian finger, Old Saxon fingar (Middle Low German finger), Old Dutch fingar (Middle Dutch, Dutch vinger), Old High German fingar (Middle High German vinger, German Finger), Old Icelandic fingr, Old Swedish finger (Swedish finger), Old Danish fingær (Danish finger), Gothic figgrs.

Further etymology uncertain, perhaps < a suffixed form of the Indo-European base of five adj., cognate with Old Frisian fīf (West Frisian fiif), Old Saxon fīf (Middle Low German vīf), Old Dutch fīf (Middle Dutch, Dutch vijf), Old High German fimf, finf, funf (Middle High German vünf, German fünf  (although this presents semantic difficulties with regard to the function of the suffix), or perhaps < a suffixed form of the Indo-European base of fang v., Old English fón, reduplicated strong verb corresponding to Old Frisian fâ, Old Saxon fâhan, Old High German fâhan (Middle High German vâhen, modern German (poet) fahen), Old Norse fá (although this presents phonological difficulties).

Compare fist n., Old English fýst strong feminine corresponds to Old Frisian fêst, Middle Low German fûst (Dutch vuist), Old High German fûst (Middle High German vûst, modern German Faust) < West Germanic *fûsti.

fist

A word inherited from Germanic.

Old English fýst strong feminine corresponds to Old Frisian fêst, Middle Low German fûst (Dutch vuist), Old High German fûst (Middle High German vûst, modern German Faust) < West Germanic *fûsti.

Notes

By some scholars this is referred to an Old Germanic form *fûhsti-z, *funhsti-z < pre-Germanic *pṇqstis (whence Old Church Slavonic pęstĭ of same meaning), < ablaut-variant of *penqe, five adj. & n., cognate with Old Frisian fīf (West Frisian fiif), Old Saxon fīf (Middle Low German vīf), Old Dutch fīf (Middle Dutch, Dutch vijf), Old High German fimf, finf, funf (Middle High German vünf).

• from the Oxford English Dictionary