Where does “fee” come from?
fee (West Frisian) comes from Dutch fee, from French fée, 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.
fee (West Frisian): livestock; fairy
Ancestry of “fee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | fee | fairy |
| 2 | French | fée | fairy, fay |
| 3 | Old French | fae | — |
| 4 | Latin | fāta | — |
| 5 | Latin | fātum | — |
| 6 | Latin | fātus | — |
| 7 | Latin | for | "defective"; I speak, talk, say |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fāōr | speak |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéh₂ti | to speak, to be talking |