English word origin

Etymology of feen

From fiend, as a reference to drug fiend or dope fiend.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 ↗

verb

To want something obsessively; to have a strong desire (for).

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

From fiend, as a reference to drug fiend or dope fiend.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "fiend",
      "fiend#English"
    ],
    [
      "drug fiend",
      "drug fiend#English"
    ],
    [
      "dope fiend",
      "dope fiend#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To want something obsessively; to have a strong desire (for)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "2b80ccad490c0d6842248cd0b1ede01aeaec35cf65bd4fd05c87c1816553d9d9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4763232
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

(young) man, guy, bloke

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

From Shelta fīn, feen (“man”), itself from Irish fiann.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionfīnsth · man
Derivation mentionfiannga

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sth",
        "3": "fīn",
        "4": "fīn, feen",
        "t": "man"
      },
      "expansion": "Shelta fīn, feen (“man”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "fiann"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish fiann"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fīn, feen",
      "fīn#Shelta"
    ],
    [
      "fiann",
      "fiann#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "(young) man, guy, bloke"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland",
        "Munster",
        "especially",
        "slang"
      ],
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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 feen →

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-ZmVlbg