Where does “fay” come from?
Fay derives from English ofay, which comes from English foe, traced to Proto-Germanic fōgijaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots peyk- and paḱ-, with connections to Latin for meaning adversary or enemy.
fay (English): To fit; To join or unite closely or tightly; To...
Definitions
- To fit; To join or unite closely or tightly; To...
Ancestry of “fay”, step by step
fay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English faie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | faie | Magical, enchanted, or otherworldly; fey or fae;... |
| 2 | Middle French | feie | — |
| 3 | Old French | fae | — |
| 4 | Latin | fāta | Fate; Moira; goddess who controls destiny; divine personification of fate |
| 5 | Latin | fātum | destiny, fate, lot |
| 6 | Latin | fātus | spoken, said, told, foretold, related, predicted; having or had spoken, etc |
| 7 | Latin | for | "defective"; I speak, talk, say |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fāōr | speak |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéh₂ti | to speak, to be talking |
via English ofay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ofay | A white person; White; white-skinned |
| 2 | English | foe | Hostile; An enemy; A unit of energy equal to 10... |
| 3 | Middle English | fo | A foe or opponent; one that opposes and provides... |
| 4 | Old English | ġefāh | enemy |
| 5 | Old English | fāh | coloured; stained; dyed; tinged; shining;... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | faih | coloured; hostile |