Etymology

Always derived from ON, cp. OIcel hnefi 'fist'.  This root is only found in the Scandinavian languages and possibly in MHG nevemez 'fistful', unless the latter also represents a borrowing (OED3).

PGmc Ancestor

*xneƀ-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

hnefi, knefi 'fist'
(ONP hnefi (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far nevi, Icel hnefi, Norw neve, Dan næve, Sw näve

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

B2c

Attestation

First attested in (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108), all subsequent ME citations are from the N and E Midlands (MED, OED3); the distribution of the modern dial word is predominantly N and Sc (OED3, EDD)

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 1537

Bibliography

MED nēve (n.2) , OED3 nieve (n.) , HTOED , EDD neive (v. and sb.), Bj. 217, de Vries hnefi (1), Mag. hnefi