Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • fairway
  • fairgrounds
  • fairground
  • fairminded
  • funfair
  • fairish
  • fairtrade
  • fairmindedness
  • frabjous
  • fairlead
  • fairgoer
  • fairsome
  • fairheaded
  • fairlike
  • fairmindedly
  • fairhanded
  • fair-minded
  • fair-mindedness
  • fair-mindedly
  • fairhood
  • fairdom
  • fairishly
  • fairleader
  • fair-goer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ- →