*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of foist

Probably from archaic Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A thief or pickpocket.

verb

To introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant. · To force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit; to stick. · To pass off as genuine or worthy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from archaic Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "vuisten",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to take into one’s hand"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "vuysten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch vuysten"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "vuisten",
      "vuisten#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "vuysten",
      "vuysten#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "vuyst",
      "vuyst#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "fyst",
      "fyst#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A thief or pickpocket."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical",
        "slang"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 517753
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant.",
        "To force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit; to stick.",
        "To pass off as genuine or worthy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "6bfb360ae09a501d59b40d986de23c644d6c1ed4060572299bd86e2a046105e7",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of light and fast-sailing ship.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old French fuste (“stick, boat”), from Latin fustis (“cudgel”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "fuste",
        "4": "",
        "5": "stick, boat"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French fuste (“stick, boat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lena",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fustis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "cudgel"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fustis (“cudgel”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fuste",
      "fuste#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fustis",
      "fustis#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "A type of light and fast-sailing ship."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A cask for wine. · Fustiness; mustiness.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old French fust (whence also French fût), from Latin fustis.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionfustfro
  • Cognate mentionfûtfr
  • Derivation mentionfustisla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "fust"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French fust"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "fût"
      },
      "expansion": "French fût"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fustis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fustis"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fust",
      "fust#Old_French"
    ],
    [
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      "fût#French"
    ],
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      "fustis#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
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        "A cask for wine.",
        "Fustiness; mustiness."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for foist →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Zm9pc3Q