Wordplay: newfangled

Newfangled. We all know what it means. But I started wondering if there was simply a fangle (there is), or such a thing as oldfangled (didn’t see it). The surprise to me was that it’s a single word, not two and not hyphenated, and that it dates back to the 15th Century: “Origin of NEWFANGLED Middle English, from newefangel, from new + Old English *-fangol, from fōn (past participle fangen) to take, seize — more at pact. First Known Use: 15th century.” (Merriam-Webster) Pretty old-fashioned word, it seems.

2 thoughts on “Wordplay: newfangled

  1. The non-intuitive nature of the English language used to leave me nonplussed, but now that I’m older I find acceptance of odd words surprisingly more of a challenge than a problem. Maybe I’m becoming plussed. 😀

... and that's my two cents