fey

Meanings

Adjective

• About to die; doomed; on the verge of sudden or violent death.
• Dying; dead.
• Possessing second sight, clairvoyance, or clairaudience.
• Overrefined, affected.
• Strange or otherworldly.
• Spellbound.
• Magical or fairylike.

Noun

• Fairy folk collectively.

Related

Similar words

• See fairy

Origin

• From Middle English fey ("fated to die"), from Old English fǣġe ("doomed to die, timid"), from Proto-Germanic *faigijaz ("cowardly, wicked"), from Proto-Indo-European *peyk-, *peyg-.
• 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.
• From Middle English faie, fei, from Middle French feie, fee. More at fairy.