Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “faerie” come from?

Faerie comes from Old French -erie, from Latin -arius, ultimately derived from Latin fata meaning the Fates or destiny.

faerie (English): Archaic spelling of fairy; Realm of the fays,...

Definitions

  1. Archaic spelling of fairy; Realm of the fays,...

Ancestry of “faerie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfaeriethe sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or...
2Old Frenchfae—
3Latinfāta—
4Latinfātum—
5Latinfātus—
6Latinfor"defective"; I speak, talk, say
7Proto-Italicfāōrspeak
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéh₂tito speak, to be talking

Words derived from “faerie”

  • faeriekind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰéh₂ti →