- a round, pointed wooden tool for separating the strands of a rope in splicing
- a square wooden or metal bar for supporting a topmast
Origin of fid
Early Modern English naut. term from uncertain or unknown; perhapsfid
-fid-fid
split or separated into (a specified number or kind of) parts: palmatifid
Origin of -fid
Classical Latin -fidus, split from base of findere: see fissionWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"fid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid>.
APA Style
fid. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid
fid
noun
Nautical- A square bar used as a support for a topmast.
- A large tapering pin used to open the strands of a rope before splicing.
Origin of fid
Origin unknown-fid
suffix
Divided into parts or lobes: pinnatifid.
Origin of -fid
Latin -fidus from findere fid- to split ; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"fid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid>.
APA Style
fid. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid
Noun
(plural fids)
- (nautical) A pointed tool without any sharp edges, used in weaving or knotwork to tighten and form up weaves or complex knots; used in sailing ships to open the strands of a rope before splicing. Compare marlinespike.
- (nautical) A square bar of wood or iron, with a shoulder at one end, to support the weight of the topmast (on a ship).
- A plug of oakum for the vent of a gun.
- A small thick piece of anything.
- A wooden or metal bar or pin, used to support or steady anything.
- A naval euphemism for "penis", derived from the similarity of each of the above to the male reproductive organ.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present fids, present participle fiding, simple past and past participle fided)
- To support a topmast using a fid.
Origin
Origin unknown.
Noun
- (law) Abbreviation of fidelity.
Usage notes
See also: fidThis is the customary abbreviation of this term as used in case citations. See, e.g., The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, Nineteenth Edition (2010), "Case Names and Institutional Authors in Citations", Table T6, p. 430-431.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"fid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid>.
APA Style
fid. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fid
