† fodnethn.

Etymology: Either < an unattested Old English verb *fōdnian (see fodden v.) + -oþ, suffix forming nouns from verbs (see note), or < food n. + the variant Old English suffix -noþ, apparently forming the names of sources of nourishment (see note); compare the parallel formations Old English foddornoþ (compare fodder n.), fōstornoþ (compare foster n.¹), both in the same sense.The Old English suffix -oþ (also -noþ ) typically forms nouns from verbs (to denote the action of the verb). Certain common words with this suffix (relating to sources of nourishment) came by semantic development to denote not only the action of the verb, but also the result or product of the action, as fiscoþ , fiscnoþ the action of fishing, catch of fish, huntoþ , huntnoþ the action of hunting, game (see hunteth n.); this could have provided the motivation (if the present word is a formation on the noun) for the analogical use of the suffix to form the name of a source of nourishment.