Where does “fair” come from?

Fair comes from Middle English fayr, from Old English fæġer, from Latin feriae, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ph₂ḱ- and dʰeh₁-.

fair (English): Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure...

Definitions

  1. Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure...

Ancestry of “fair”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfayrfair
2Old Englishfæġerbeautiful
3Proto-West Germanicfagrbeautiful
4Proto-Germanicfagrazsuitable, fitting, appropriate, nice
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂ḱ-to fasten, place

Words derived from “fair

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ-
fair — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer