fiend

▪ I. fiend
    (fiːnd)
    Forms: 1–2 féond, north. f{iacu}ond (pl. f{iacu}end, f{yacu}nd, féond, fond, north. f{iacu}ond, f{iacu}ondas; dat. sing. f{iacu}end, f{yacu}nd, féonde), 3–4 feond (pl. feond, fiend, feondes), (3 feont, fond, south. veond), 2–7 fend(e, (3 fent), 3–6 find(e, 3–7 feind(e, (4 south. vyend), 4–6 feynd, fynd(e, (5 fynt), 4–7 feend(e, (4 fende, 7 feigne), 8 Sc. fient, fint, 4– fiend.
    [Com. Teut.: OE. féond = OFris. fîand, OS. fîond, fîund (MDu. vîant, Du. vijand), OHG. fîant (MHG. vîent, vînt, mod.G. feind), ON. fjánde (Sw. fiende, Da. fjende), Goth. fijands; originally the pr. pple. of OTeut. *fîjêjan (OE. féoᵹean, OHG. fîên, ON. fjá, Goth. fijan) to hate. The formation is parallel with that of friend.]
    † 1. An enemy; foe. Obs.

Beowulf 2289 Stone þa æfter stane, steareheort onfand feondes fotlast. c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. v. 43 Hate þine fiond [c 1000 and c 1160 feond]. c 1050 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 323 Geflitᵹeorne & godes fynd. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 231 Bi tweone frend and fend. a 1225 Ancr. R. 98 Ueond þet þuncheð freond is swike ouer alle swike. c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 1124 And þe fende bonde to make to þe. 1340 Ayenb. 19 He ys wel renay þet þet land þet he halt of his Ihorde deþ into þe hond of his uyende.

    2. a. spec. The arch-enemy of mankind; the devil. More fully: fiend of hell, foul fiend, old fiend. † fiend's limb = limb of Satan (see limb).

a 1000 Hymns viii. 25 (Gr.) Ðu fiond ᵹeflæmdest. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 294 Hit eac deah wiþ feondes costungum yflum. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 67 Ure fond nefre ne linnen [cease] for to fonden us mid sunnen. a 1225 St. Marher. 1 Ouercomen ant akasten..þe feont. a 1300 Cursor M. 1056 (Cott.) Caim was þe findes fode. c 1340 Cursor M. 14880 (Trin.) Leuer had þei se þe fend of helle Þen him amonges hem to dwelle. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 357 It falliþ ofte..þat a tyraunt and a fendis lyme is put bifore a lyme of Crist. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 18 Fecche þat þe feond cleymeþ. c 1460 Play Sacram. 953, I shalle yow blysse to saue yow alle from the fendis blame. 1515 Scot. Field 598 in Chetham Misc. (1856) II, What it is to be false, and the finde serve! 1526 Tindale Luke viii. 29 And was caryed of the fende into wildernes. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. vi. 9 Beware the foule Fiend. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 233 The Gates..belching outrageous flame..since the Fiend pass'd through. 1708 Brit. Apollo No. 99. 3/2 Drugs of more Force..Than e'er was conceiv'd, by the subtil Old Fiend. 1848 A. Jameson Sacr. & Leg. Art (1850) 64 The fiend is the worst part of the picture.

    b. In forms of asseveration or execration: † the fiend on thee! the foul fiend! Also Sc. fient a (crum, etc.), fient ane, fient haet = ‘Devil, never a one, crumb, whit’, etc.

a 1568 A. Scott Poems (1820) 51 Feind a crum of the scho fawis. 1637 B. Jonson Sad Sheph. ii. ii, O, the feind, and thee! Gar, take them hence. a 1774 Fergusson Rising of Session Poems (1845) 29 The fient ane there but pays his score. 1787 Burns Twa Dogs 16 The fient a pride, nae pride had he. Ibid. 180 Fient haet o' them 's ill-hearted fellows. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. vi, What the foul fiend can detain the Master so long?

    3. An evil spirit generally; a demon, devil, or diabolical being; more fully fiend of hell.

a 1000 Guthlac 392 (Gr.) No þær þa feondas ᵹefeon þorfton. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 33 Ah a þer is waning and graming..and feonda bitinga. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2961 It was on fendes wise wroȝt. c 1386 Chaucer Sompn. Prol. 10 Ffreres and feendes been but lyte a-sonder. c 1440 Generydes 2520 But suerly they be fendez. 1509 Hawes Conv. Swearers 24 To redeme you from the fendes of hell. 1605 Camden Rem. 7 They yellen as fends do in hell. 1694 F. Bragge Disc. Parables iv. 152 Revenge..makes a man a fiend incarnate. 1738 Wesley Psalms lvii. 4 Inflam'd with Rage like Fiends in Hell. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. vi, A frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. 1840 Macaulay Ranke Ess. (1854) 545/1 In the language of Goethe's scoffing fiend.

    4. transf. a. A person of superhuman wickedness. (Now only with reference to cruelty or malignity.)

c 1220 Bestiary 450 For wo so..ðenkeð iuel on his mod fox he is and fend iwis. c 1300 Havelok 2229 He with his hend Ne drop him nouth, that sor fend. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxiii. 58 Freres folweden þat feonde [Antichrist]. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 892 Fy on that foull Feind [sc. Mahoun]. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vi. 50 That cursed man, that cruel feend of hell. 1799 Campbell Pleas. Hope i. 327 Where human fiends on midnight errands walk. 1875 W. S. Hayward Love agst. World 45 He is at times a perfect fiend.

    b. † A grisly monster (e.g. a dragon) (obs.). Also applied to baleful or destructive influences or agencies personified.

c 1400 Destr. Troy 597 It is playnly your purpos..With suche fyndes to fight. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 22 Whose corage when the feend [the monster Errour] perceivd to shrinke. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 185 He calls for famine, and the meagre fiend Blows mildew from between his shrivel'd lips.

    c. Applied with jocular hyperbole to a person or agency causing mischief or annoyance. Often with qualifying word or phrase.

1621 Burton Anat. Mel. iii. ii. ii. iv. (1845) 545 If you do but stir abroad, these fiends [sc. women; transl. umbræ in Petronius] are ready to meet you at every turn. 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. (1824) 305 It is that fiend Politics, Asem—that baneful fiend, which bewildereth every brain. 1870 Lowell Study Wind, Swinburne's Trag. (1871) 162 This sorcery which the fiend of technical imitation weaves about his victims. a 1896 Mod. The autograph-fiend; the cyclist-fiend; the interviewer-fiend; the newsboy-fiend; the organ-fiend. 1889 Farmer Americanisms s.v., The free lunch fiend..is one who makes a meal off what is really provided as a snack. He pays for a drink, but shamefacedly manages in this way to get something more than his money's worth. 1896, etc. Dope fiend [see dope n. 5]. 1904 Philadelphia Even. Tel. 25 July 6 The camera fiend is after him, hot foot. 1909 Webster 812/1 Fiend{ddd}An opium fiend{ddd}he is a fiend in mathematics; a botany fiend. 1925, etc. Drug-fiend [see drug n.1 1 b]. 1927, etc. Fresh-air fiend [see fresh a. 6]. 1929 R. Graves Goodbye to All That xxviii. 377 He had been upset that morning by a letter from an autograph-fiend. 1956 M. Swan Paradise Garden i. i. 7 A neighbour a small-boat fiend. 1962 N. Marsh Hand in Glove v. 196 I'm a bit of a camera-fiend myself.

    d. A kind of firework.

1634 J. Bate Myst. Nat. & Art ii. 75 How to make fiends, or fearefull apparitions.

    5. attrib. and Comb.: a. simple attrib., as fiend-breed, fiend-face. b. objective, as fiend-compelling, fiend-fraying adjs. c. instrumental, as fiend-begotten, fiend-drawn, fiend-tenanted, fiend-tied adjs. d. originative, as fiend-born adj. e. parasynthetic, as fiend-hearted adj.

1810 Scott Lady of L. iv. v, Aught that..Yon *fiend-begotten monk can tell.

1802 Scott Thomas the Rhymer iii. 18 in Minstr. Scot. Border II. 289 Brangwain was there..And *fiend-born Merlin's gramarye.

1586 Warner Alb. Eng. ii. xiii. (1597) 62 Brute..suppressed so the state Of all the *Fiend-breed Albinests.

1856 R. A. Vaughan Mystics (1860) II. 108 Solomon achieved his *fiend-compelling wonders by its aid.

1821 Shelley Prometh. Unb. i. 126 As one checks a *fiend-drawn charioteer.

1879 Browning Ned Bratts 56 Horrified, hideous, frank *fiend-faces!

1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. xviii. 69 The *Fiend-fraying Holy-water.

1847 Craig, *Fiendhearted, having a very wicked or depraved heart.

1892 Daily News 21 Sept. 5/5 Who was grasping his *fiend-tenanted fiddle so firmly by the throat.

1754 Armstrong Forced Marriage iv. 1 Misc. (1770) II. 80 My quick revenge Shall burst this *fiend-tied most unnatural knot.

▪ II.     fiend, v. slang (orig. and chiefly in the language of rap and hip-hop).
    Brit. /fiːnd/, U.S. /find/
    [‹ fiend n.; with the sense compare dope-fiend n. at dope n. Compounds 2, sex fiend n. at sex n.¹ Compounds 1, etc.]
    intr. To have a strong desire or craving for.

1988 ‘Eric B.’ & ‘Rakim’ Microphone Fiend (song) in Hip-hop & Rap (2003) 268, I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine, But I don't need a cigarette. 1995 Represent Apr.–May (verso front cover), If you fiend for the West Coast smooth suit, ‘Safe + Sound’ is your meal ticket. 2004 Vanity Fair Apr. 136 Those who have been sexually possessed will understand... When you're fiending for it, you're fiending for it.

Oxford English Dictionary