Where does “Fairy” come from?
Fairy (English) comes from Middle English faierie, from Old French faerie, from Old French fae, from Latin fāta, from Latin fātum, from Latin fātus, from Latin for, from Proto-Italic fāōr — to speak, to be talking.
Ancestry of “Fairy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | faierie | — |
| 2 | Old French | faerie | the sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or... |
| 3 | Old French | fae | — |
| 4 | Latin | fāta | — |
| 5 | Latin | fātum | — |
| 6 | Latin | fātus | — |
| 7 | Latin | for | "defective"; I speak, talk, say |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fāōr | speak |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéh₂ti | to speak, to be talking |