FIFE Meaning of FIFE in English ■ noun a kind of small shrill flute used with the drum in military bands.Derivatives~r noun OriginC16: from Ger. Pfeife 'pipe', or from Fr. fifre from Swiss Ger. P~r 'piper'. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004