Gunfought

/ˈɡʌnfɔːt/ verb

Definition

Past tense of 'gunfight'; to have engaged in armed combat using guns or firearms.

Etymology

Irregular past tense of 'gunfight' (gun + fight, using the base 'fought'). As 'gunfight' is a relatively modern compound term from 19th-century American English, 'gunfought' follows the irregular pattern of 'fight/fought.'

Kelly Says

English speakers instinctively used the irregular past tense 'gunfought' instead of 'gunfighted' because 'fought' is deeply embedded in our brain—we can't help but follow the pattern of its root word, even for brand-new compound verbs.

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