[? OE. feohtere (Lye) = OHG. fehtâri (MHG. vehtære, mod. Ger. fechter): see FIGHT v. and -ER1.]
1. One who fights; occas. a fighting man, a warrior.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 5703.
| Alle his gode fightteres, | |
| Thise folk to-hewe and sloughe. |
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 102.
| He had of fechtaris with hym thar | |
| Ane hundreth thousand men and ma. |
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 66/1. This geaunt hath ben a fightar fro his chyldehod.
1685. Baxter, Paraphr. N. T., Matt. x. 16. Sheep and Doves are no good fighters against Wolves and Hawks.
1763. Churchill, Ghost, I. 173.
| Whether repletion is not bad, | |
| And fighters with full stomachs mad? |
1823. Byron, Juan, XIV. xx.
| But this can’t well be true, just now; for writers | |
| Are grown of the beau monde a part potential: | |
| I ’ve seen them balance even the scale with fighters, | |
| Especially when young, for that ’s essential. |
1883. Stevenson, Treasure Isl., I. ii. (1886), 11. He was a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand; and, though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter.
fig. a. 1300. Cursor M., 18081 (Cott.). A faint fighter me thine er þou.
c. 1430. Life St. Kath. (Gibbs MS.), 64. My lord ihesu criste whyche is þe hope and croune of alle his fyghters.
1656. S. Winter, Serm., 181. Lest you seem to … be found fighters against the Lord of hosts.
1861. Trench, Epistles 7 Churches, 86. The history of these daring fighters against God would supply many parallel intances of blasphemous impiety.
† b. One employed to fight; a champion, bully.
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Maid’s Trag., IV. i. Mel. Y’are grown a glorious Whore; where be your Fighters?
c. 1683. Roxb. Ball., V. 215.
| Keep Frank still for your writer, | |
| And Poulteney for your fighter. |
† 2. A pugnacious person: a brawler. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1751. The fortune of feghters may be fell chaunse.
1413. Lydg., Pilgr. Sowle, IV. xxxv. (1483), 83. Vpon theues and morderers, robbers and reuours, fyghters and debatours, mysprowde men and vicious, they shalle be fyers in iugement.
1552. Act 5–6 Edw. VI., c. 4 § 3. Fray-makers and Fighters.
1557. N. T. (Genev.), 1 Tim. iii. 3. Not geuen to wyne, no fighter, not geuen to fylthy lucre: but gentle, abhorring fyghtyng, abhorring couetousnes.
