Where does “fayre” come from?

fayre (English) comes from Middle English fayr, from Old English fæġer, from Proto-West Germanic fagr, from Proto-Germanic fagraz, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ- — to fasten, place.

fayre (English): Fair, beautiful

Definitions

  1. Fair, beautiful

Ancestry of “fayre”, step by step

fayre traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English fayr

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

via Old French foire

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfoirecelebration
2Vulgar Latinferiafestival, holy day; holiday; fair
3Latinfēriaea holy day; a festival; a holiday
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ- →