† askefisen.

Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Norwegian (Bokmål) askefis , (Nynorsk) oskefis , Swedish askfis , (regional) askefis , Danish askefis person who blows on the ashes, also used as a term of contempt for an idle, incompetent, or ineffectual person and as the name of a character in folk tales) < the Scandinavian base of Old Icelandic aska ash, cinders (see ash n.²) + the Scandinavian base of Old Icelandic físa to fart (Icelandic físa to blow (on a fire), to fart), Norwegian fisa to fart, to puff, blow, Swedish fisa to fart, Old Danish fise to puff, blow (Danish fise to blow, to fart): see fise n. Compare earlier eskebach n. and forms in the Scandinavian languages cited at that entry. Compare also earlier askebathe n.In β. forms apparently showing substitution of the cognate forms fist v.² or fist n.² The form naskkyste shows metanalysis (see N n.). Compare Dutch aschvijster (mid 16th cent.), German Aschenfister (17th cent.), both in the senses ‘idler, milksop, coward, wretch’ and as the name of a character in folk tales (compare Dutch and German cognates at fist v.² and -er suffix¹), apparently arising as adaptations of one of the nouns in the Scandinavian languages (compare similarly askebathe n.).