fid

¹ American  

[fid] / fɪd /

noun

Nautical.

1. a stout bar of wood or metal placed across a lower spar so as to support a higher one.

2. a stout bar used to hold a running bowsprit in its extended position.

3. a wooden or metal pin for parting strands of a rope.

4. a bar or pin used as a key or toggle.

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-fid ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “divided,” “lobed,” occurring in adjectives borrowed from Latin (bifid ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (pinnatifid ).

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fid. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. fiduciary.

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fid ¹ British  

/ fɪd /

noun

1. a spike for separating strands of rope in splicing

2. a wooden or metal bar for supporting the heel of a topmast

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-fid ² British  

combining form

1. divided into parts or lobes

   bifid

   pinnatifid

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Etymology

Origin of fid¹

First recorded in 1605–15; origin uncertain

Origin of -fid²

< Latin -fidus divided, equivalent to -fid- (variant stem of findere to split) + -us adj. suffix