Where does “fay neant” come from?

fay neant (Old French) comes from Old French feignant, from Old French feindre, from Latin fingere, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- — to knead; to form, to shape.

fay neant (Old French): faineant; lazybones

Definitions

  1. faineant; lazybones

Ancestry of “fay neant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfeignantidler
2Old Frenchfeindreto feign
3Latinfingeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeyǵʰ-to knead; to form, to shape

Words derived from “fay neant”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- →Every word from Latin fingere →Every word from Old French feindre →