fun

Meanings

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English fonne, fon or fonnen, probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish fånig ("foolish"), Swedish fåne ("a fool"). Compare also Norwegian fomme, fume. More at fon, fond.
  • As a noun, fun is recorded from 1700, with a meaning “a cheat, trick, hoax”, from a verb fun meaning “to cheat, trick” (1680s). The meaning “diversion, amusement” dates to the 1720s. The older meaning is preserved in the phrase to make fun of (1737) and in usage of the adjective funny. The use of fun as adjective is newest and is due to reanalysis of the noun; this was incipient in the mid-19th century.
  • Alternative etymology connected Middle English fonne with Old Frisian fonna, fone, fomne, variant forms of fāmne, fēmne, from Proto-West Germanic *faimnijā, from Proto-Germanic *faimnijǭ ("maiden"), from Proto-Indo-European *peymen- ("girl"), *poymen-. If so, then cognate with Old English fǣmne ("maid, virgin, damsel, bride"), West Frisian famke ("girl"), Saterland Frisian fone, fon.

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