feist

noun

a nervous belligerent little mongrel dog

• Syn: ↑fice

• Hypernyms: ↑cur, ↑mongrel, ↑mutt

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noun or fice or fist \\ˈfīs(t)\ (-s)

Etymology: by shortening & alteration from obsolete fisting \\ˈfīstiŋ\\, adjective, breaking wind (in such expressions as fisting dog, fisting hound), from present participle of obsolete fist \\ˈfīst\\, verb, to break wind, from Middle English fisten, from fist flatus; akin to Middle High German vist, vīst flatus, emission of gas from the colon, Old Norse fīsa to break wind — more at spirit

1. chiefly dialect : a small dog of uncertain ancestry : mongrel, cur

2. chiefly dialect

a. : a person of little worth

b. : someone with a bad temper

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/fuyst/, n.

1. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. a small mongrel dog, esp. one that is ill-tempered; cur; mutt.

v.i.

2. South Midland U.S. to prance or strut about: Look at him feist around in his new clothes.

Also, fice, fist.

[1760-70; cf. (from 16th cent.) fisting hound, fisting cur, as contemptuous epithets for any kind of dog (prp. of fist to break wind, late ME; cf. OE fisting breaking wind, MLG vist, G Fist fart); (def. 2) perh. back formation from FEISTY]

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feist «fyst», noun.

U.S. Dialect. a small dog: »

In our lodge were three huge curs and four cross feists (L. H. Garrard).

Also, fice, fist.

╂[American English, apparently < dialectal English fisting (cur) (literally) stinking (cur) < Middle English fysta stink]

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feist

var. fist n.²