Fight
Old English feohtan (verb), feoht(e), gefeoht (noun), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vechten, gevecht and German fechten, Gefecht .
wiktionary
From Middle English fighten, from Old English feohtan(“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną(“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-(“to comb, shear”).
Cognate with Scots fecht(“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte(“to fight”), Dutch vechten(“to fight”), Low German fechten(“to fight”), German fechten(“to fight, fence”), Swedish fäkta(“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pectō(“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek(“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek πέκω(pékō, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht(“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).
From Middle English fight, feyght, fiȝt, fecht, from Old English feoht, ġefeoht, from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtą, *gafehtą(“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną(“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht, German Gefecht.
etymonline
fight (v.)
Old English feohtan "to combat, contend with weapons, strive; attack; gain by fighting, win" (intransitive; class III strong verb; past tense feaht, past participle fohten), from Proto-Germanic *fe(u)hta (source also of Old High German fehtan, German fechten, Middle Dutch and Dutch vechten, Old Frisian fiuhta "to fight"), probably from PIE *pek- (2) "to comb, to pluck out" wool or hair (source also of Lithuanian pėšti"to pluck," Greek pekein "to comb, shear," pekos "fleece, wool;" Persian pashm "wool, down," Latin pectere "to comb," Sanskrit paksman- "eyebrows, hair"). Apparently the notion is "pulling roughly," or "to tear out one another's hair." But perhaps it is from the source of Latin pugnus "fist."
Spelling substitution of -gh- for a "hard H" sound was a Middle English scribal habit, especially before -t-. In some late Old English examples, the middle consonant was represented by a yogh. Among provincial early Modern English spellings, Wright lists faight, fate, fecht, feeght, feight, feit, feyght, feyt, feort, foight.
From c. 1200 as "offer resistance, struggle;" also "to quarrel, wrangle, create a disturbance." From late 14c. as "be in conflict." Transitive use from 1690s. To fight for "contest on behalf of" is from early 14c. To fight back "resist" is recorded from 1890. Well figt þat wel fligt ("he fights well that flies fast") was a Middle English proverb.
fight (n.)
Old English feohte, gefeoht "a fight, combat, hostile encounter;" see fight (v.). Compare Old Frisian fiucht, Old Saxon fehta, Dutch gevecht, Old High German gifeht, German Gefecht. Meaning "power or inclination to fight" is from 1812.
