fid

[ fid ]

/ fɪd /

Save This Word!

noun Nautical.

a stout bar of wood or metal placed across a lower spar so as to support a higher one.

a stout bar used to hold a running bowsprit in its extended position.

a wooden or metal pin for parting strands of a rope.

a bar or pin used as a key or toggle.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of fid

First recorded in 1605–15; origin uncertain

Words nearby fid

fictitious, fictitious force, fictitious person, fictive, ficus, fid, Fid. Def., fiddle, fiddleback, fiddleback spider, fiddle bow

Other definitions for fid (2 of 3)

-fid

a combining form meaning “divided,” “lobed,” occurring in adjectives borrowed from Latin (bifid); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (pinnatifid).

Origin of -fid

<Latin -fidus divided, equivalent to -fid- (variant stem of findere to split) + -us adj. suffix

Other definitions for fid (3 of 3)

fid.

abbreviation

fiduciary.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use fid in a sentence

He accordingly shut the great doors, and put the fid into the staple.
Rollo's Philosophy. [Air]|Jacob Abbott
The doors cannot be opened again until the fid is taken out.
Rollo's Philosophy. [Air]|Jacob Abbott
He whispered his ideas also to Harry and Tim Fid, who agreed to keep a watchful eye on the prisoners.
True Blue|W.H.G. Kingston
Fid immediately handed a brace of pistols and a dirk to True Blue, and together they rushed aft.
True Blue|W.H.G. Kingston

To prevent his companions from seizing his weapons, Fid drew them from his pocket and bolted off with them round the deck.
True Blue|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for fid (1 of 2)

fid

/ (fɪd) /

noun nautical

a spike for separating strands of rope in splicing

a wooden or metal bar for supporting the heel of a topmast

Word Origin for fid

C17: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for fid (2 of 2)

-fid

adj combining form

divided into parts or lobesbifid; pinnatifid

Word Origin for -fid

from Latin -fidus, from findere to split

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012