fay

fay · verb, adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*peh₂ḱ-“to fasten, place”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fōgijaną“to join”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*fōgijan
4. Old English · inherited fromfēġan“to join, unite”
5. Middle English · inherited fromfeyen
6. English todayfay

Inherited from Middle English feyen, feien, from Old English fēġan (“to join, unite”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōgijan, from Proto-Germanic *fōgijaną (“to join”), from *fōgō (“joint, slot”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”). Akin to Saterland Frisian fougje (“to join, add”), West Frisian foegje (“to join, add”), Dutch voegen (“to add, place”), German Low German fögen (“to join, add”), German fügen (“to connect”), Old English fōn (“to catch”). More at fang.

fay · noun, adjective²

1. Medieval Latin · derived fromfāda
2. Old French · derived fromfae
3. Middle French · derived fromfeie
4. Middle English · inherited fromfaie
5. English todayfay

Inherited from Middle English faie, fei (“a place or person possessed with magical properties”), from Middle French feie, fée (“fairy", "fae”), from Old French fae, from Medieval Latin fāda. More at fairy.

fay · noun³

1. Old French · derived fromfei
2. Middle English · inherited fromfei
3. English todayfay

From Middle English fei, from Old French fei

fay · verb⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pōḱ-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*fēgijaną“to decorate, make beautiful”
3. Old Norse · derived fromfægja“to cleanse, polish”
4. Middle English · inherited fromfeien“to cleanse”
5. English todayfay

Inherited from Middle English feien (“to cleanse”), from Old Norse fægja (“to cleanse, polish”), from Proto-Germanic *fēgijaną (“to decorate, make beautiful”), from Proto-Indo-European *pōḱ-, *pēḱ- (“to clean, adorn”). Cognate with Swedish feja (“to sweep”), Danish feje (“to sweep”), German fegen (“to cleanse, scour, sweep”), Dutch vegen (“to sweep, strike”). More at feague, fake, fair.

fay · noun, adjective⁵

Abbreviation of ofay.

Words from the same roots