fey

fey · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*peyk-“ill-meaning, bad”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*faigijaz“cowardly, wicked”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*faigī
4. Old English · inherited fromfǣġe“doomed to die, timid”
5. Middle English · inherited fromfeye“fated to die”
6. English todayfey

From Middle English feye (“fated to die”), from Old English fǣġe (“doomed to die, timid”), from Proto-West Germanic *faigī, from Proto-Germanic *faigijaz (“cowardly, wicked”), from Proto-Indo-European *peyk- (“ill-meaning, bad”). Akin to Old Saxon fēgi, whence Dutch veeg (“doomed, near death”), Old High German feigi (“appointed for death, ungodly”) whence German feige (“cowardly”), Old Norse feigr (“doomed”) whence the Icelandic feigur (“doomed to die”), Old English fāh (“outlawed, hostile”). More at foe.

fey · adjective, noun²

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

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

fey · verb³

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 todayfey

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.

Words from the same roots