Where does “fairie” come from?
fairie (Middle English) comes from Middle English fairye, from Old French faerie, from Old French fae, from Latin fāta, from Latin fātum, from Latin fātus, from Latin for, from Proto-Italic fāōr — to speak, to be talking.
fairie (Middle English): Alternative form of fairye
Definitions
- Alternative form of fairye
Ancestry of “fairie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fairye | The land or domain in which magical or... |
| 2 | Old French | faerie | the sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or... |
| 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 |