Fidge

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move about restlessly or make small nervous motions, especially while sitting or waiting
2. To shift and wriggle in an uneasy, impatient way, unable to keep still for long
3. To twitch, squirm or fiddle with something out of nervousness or boredom

Etymology: "Fidge" is a verb meaning to fidget or move restlessly, and its ancestry runs through a Middle English word meaning to jitter, hustle or flinch. That earlier verb, "fiken," is the more interesting ancestor: its sense ranged from restless movement to hurrying away, so the modern word keeps the fidgeting side of that range while losing the sense of hastening off. The most likely origin is that "fidge" is an assibilated form of "fiken," meaning the "f" sound and a sharper "j" sound developed from the older "k" in the final position. Scholars are less sure where "fiken" itself came from. One suggestion links it to Old English "befician," meaning to deceive, while another points to Old Norse "fika," meaning to climb nimbly, as a spider does, which also survives in modern Scandinavian verbs meaning to strive after or hurry. Neither connection is certain, so the word's deeper history remains open.

Synonyms: fidget, squirm, wriggle, twitch