Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fade” come from?

fade (Middle English) comes from Middle Dutch vade, from Old French fade, from Vulgar Latin fatidus, from Latin fatuus, from Latin fātus, from Latin for, from Proto-Italic fāōr, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéh₂ti — to speak, to be talking.

Ancestry of “fade”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchvadeweak, faint, limp
2Old Frenchfadeweak, witless
3Vulgar Latinfatidus—
4Latinfatuusfoolish, silly, simple; stupid; insipid,...
5Latinfātus—
6Latinfor"defective"; I speak, talk, say
7Proto-Italicfāōrspeak
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéh₂tito speak, to be talking

Words derived from “fade”

  • fade
  • fader
  • fadeth
  • fadeless
  • vade
  • crossfade
  • fadeout
  • fady
  • antifade
  • postfader
  • prefader
  • crossfader
  • fadeable
  • fadelessly
  • fadeproof
  • fadeometer
  • unfadable
  • fadesome
  • anti-fade
  • microfadeometer
  • autofade
  • fadable
  • neverfade
  • feidata
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰéh₂ti →