Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “fatal” come from?

fatal (German) comes from French fatal, from Latin fatalis, from Latin fātum, from Latin fātus, from Latin for, from Proto-Italic fāōr, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéh₂ti — to speak, to be talking.

fatal (German): fatal

Definitions

  1. fatal

Ancestry of “fatal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfatalfatal
2Latinfatalisof fate, destined, predestined; fatal, deadly
3Latinfātum—
4Latinfātus—
5Latinfor"defective"; I speak, talk, say
6Proto-Italicfāōrspeak
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéh₂tito speak, to be talking
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰéh₂ti →