hit

Where does the word "hit" come from? It comes from Old Norse hitta, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Hit’s story begins in Old Norse: hitta meant “to come upon, to find.” Replaced Old English 'slēan', which survives as 'slay'. It reached English by 1200s as hit. Narrowed from meeting with something to striking it. Today, hit means to strike someone or something with force.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval hitta "to come upon, to find", replaced Old English 'slēan', which survives as 'slay'.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s hit "to strike something with force", narrowed from meeting with something to striking it.