A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

farrow (n.) --- O.E. fearh, from P.Gmc. *farkhaz "young pig" (cf. M.L.G. ferken, Du. varken, both dim.), from PIE *porkos- (see pork). Sense of "a litter of pigs" first recorded 1577.

Farsi --- 1878, modern Persian language, the usual Iranian word for it, from Fars, Arabic name for region of Pars (no "p" in Arabic) in Iran, where the modern language evolved from I.E.-based Persian with many Arabic elements.

fart --- O.E. feortan, ult. from PIE *perd- (cf. O.H.G. ferzan, O.N. freta, Skt. pard, Gk. perdein, Lith. perdzu, Rus. perdet), of imitative origin.

farther --- c.1300, var. of further (q.v.), by 17c. replaced ferrer as comp. of the descendant of O.E. fierr "far" (itself a comp. but no longer felt as one). Vowel change infl. by the root vowel, and confusion with M.E. ferþeren "to assist, promote, advance" (see forth). There is no historical basis for the notion that farther is of physical distance and further of degree or quality.

farthing --- O.E. feorðung "quarter of a penny," a derivative of feorða "fourth" (from feower "four") + -ing "fractional part." Used in biblical translation of L. quadrans "quarter of a denarius;" the English coin (of silver until 17c., later of copper or bronze), was first minted under Edward I and abolished 1971. "I shall geat a fart of a dead man as soone As a farthyng of him." [Heywood, 1562]

fasces --- 1598, from L. fasces "bundle of rods containing an axe with the blade projecting" (pl. of fascis "bundle" of wood, etc.), carried before a lictor, a superior Roman magistrate, as a symbol of power over life and limb: the sticks symbolized punishment by whipping, the axe head execution by beheading. Probably cognate with M.Ir. basc "neckband," Welsh baich "load, burden," O.E. bæst "inner bark of the linden tree."

fascinate --- 1598, "bewitch, enchant," from M.Fr. fasciner, from L. fascinatus, pp. of fascinare "bewitch, enchant," from fascinus "spell, witchcraft," of uncertain origin. Possibly from Gk. baskanos "bewitcher, sorcerer," with form influenced by L. fari "speak" (see fame). The Gk. word may be from a Thracian equivalent of Gk. phaskein "to say;" cf. also enchant, and Ger. besprechen "to charm," from sprechen "to speak." Earliest used of witches and of serpents, who were said to be able to cast a spell by a look that rendered one unable to move or resist. Sense of "delight, attract" is first recorded 1815.

fascist --- 1921, from It. partito nazionale fascista, the anti-communist political movement organized 1919 under Benito Mussolini (1883-1945); from It. fascio "group, association," lit. "bundle." Fasci "groups of men organized for political purposes" had been a feature of Sicily since c.1895; the 20c. sense probably infl. by the Roman fasces (q.v.) which became the party symbol. Fascism, also 1921, was originally used in Eng. 1920 in its It. form, fascismo. Applied to similar groups in Germany from 1923. "A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." [Robert O. Paxton, "The Anatomy of Fascism," 2004]

fashion (n.) --- c.1300, "shape, manner, mode," from O.Fr. façon, from L. factionem (nom. factio) "group of people acting together," lit. "a making or doing," from facere "to make" (see factitious). Sense of "prevailing custom" is from c.1489; that of "style of attire" is from 1529. The verb is first recorded 1413. Fashionable in the sense of "stylish" is from 1608. "To call a fashion wearable is the kiss of death. No new fashion worth its salt is wearable." [Eugenia Sheppard, "New York Herald Tribune," Jan. 13, 1960] Fashion plate (1851) originally was "full-page picture in a popular magazine showing the prevailing or latest style of dress," in ref. to the "plate" from which it was printed. Transf. sense of "well-dressed person" had emerged by 1920s.

fast (adj.) --- O.E. fæst "firmly fixed, steadfast," probably from P.Gmc. *fastuz (cf. O.N. fastr, Du. vast, Ger. fest), from PIE base *past- "firm" (cf. Skt. pastyam "dwelling place"). The adv. meaning "quickly, swiftly" was perhaps in O.E., or from O.N. fast, either way developing from the sense of "firmly, strongly, vigorously" (cf. to run hard means to run fast; also compare fast asleep), or perhaps from the notion of a runner who "sticks" close to whatever he is chasing. The sense of "living an unrestrained life" (usually of women) is from 1746; fast food is first attested 1951. Fast-forward first recorded 1948. Fast and loose is described as "a cheating game played with a stick and a belt or string, so arranged that a spectator would think he could make the latter fast by placing a stick through its intricate folds, whereas the operator could detach it at once." [James O. Halliwell, "Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words," 1847]. The fig. sense (1557) is recorded earlier than the literal (1578).

fast (v.) --- O.E. fæstan "to fast" (as a religious duty), from P.Gmc. *fastejan (cf. O.Fris. festia, O.H.G. fasten, O.N. fasta), from the same root as fast (adj.). The original meaning was "hold firmly," and the sense evolution is via "firm control of oneself," to "holding to observance" (cf. Goth. fastan "to keep, observe," also "to fast"). Presumably the whole group is a Gmc. translation of M.L. observare "to fast."

fasten --- O.E. fæstnian "make fast, firm," also "ratify, betroth," from P.Gmc. *fastinojanan, from *fastuz (see fast (adj.)).

fastidious --- c.1440, "full of pride," from L. fastidiosus "disdainful, squeamish, exacting," from fastidium "loathing," most likely from *fastu-taidiom, a compound of fastus "contempt, arrogance" and tædium "aversion, disgust." Early use in Eng. was in both passive and active senses. Meaning "squeamish, over-nice" emerged in Eng. 1612.

fastness --- a place not easily forced, a stronghold, late O.E., from fast (adj.) in its older sense of "firm, fixed in place" + -ness.

fat (adj.) --- O.E. fætt, originally a contracted pp. of fættian "to cram, stuff," from P.Gmc. *faitaz "fat" (cf. O.N. feitr, Du. vet, Ger. feist), from PIE *poid- "to abound in water, milk, fat, etc." (cf. Gk. piduein "to gush forth"), from base *poi- "sap, juice" (cf. Skt. payate "swells, exuberates," Lith. pienas "milk," Gk. pion "fat, wealthy," L. pinguis "fat"). Fig. sense of "best or most rewarding part" is from 1570; teen slang meaning "attractive, up to date" (also later phat) is attested from 1951. Fat cat "privileged and rich person" is from 1928; fat chance "no chance at all" attested from 1906. Fathead is from 1842; fat-witted is from 1596; fatso is first recorded 1944.

Fata Morgana --- 1818, lit. "Fairy Morgana," mirage especially common in the Strait of Messina, Italy, from Morgana, the "Morgan le Fay" of Anglo-Fr. poetry, sister of King Arthur, located in Calabria by Norman settlers. Morgan is Welsh, "sea-dweller." There is perhaps, too, here an infl. of Arabic marjan, lit. "pearl," also a fem. proper name, popularly the name of a sorceress.

fatal --- c.1374, "decreed by fate," from L. fatalis "ordained by fate," from fatum (see fate); sense of "causing death" is c.1430. Fatality "disaster resulting in death" is from 1840; fatalism appeared 1678 as the philosophical doctrine that all things are determined by fate; fatalist in the general sense of "one who accepts every event as inevitable" is from 1734.

fate --- c.1374, from L. fata, neut. pl. of fatum "thing spoken (by the gods), one's destiny," from neut. pp. of fari "to speak," from PIE *bha- "speak" (see fame). The L. sense evolution is from "sentence of the Gods" (Gk. theosphaton), subsequently "lot, portion" (Gk. moira, personified as a goddess in Homer), later "one of the three goddesses (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) who determined the course of a human life."

father (n.) --- O.E. fæder, from P.Gmc. *fader (cf. O.N. faðir, Ger. vater), from PIE *p@ter (cf. Skt. pitar-, Gk. pater, L. pater, O.Pers. pita, O.Ir. athir "father"), presumably from baby-speak sound like pa. The classic example of Grimm's Law, where PIE "p-" becomes Gmc. "f-." Spelling with -th- (16c.) reflects widespread phonetic shift in M.E. that turned -der to -ther in many words; spelling caught up to pronunciation in 1500s (cf. burden, murder). Fatherland (1623) is usually a loan-transl. of Ger. Vaterland, itself a loan-transl. of L. patria (terra), lit. "father's land." Father's Day dates back to 1910 in Spokane, Wash., but was not widespread until 1943, in imitation of Mother's Day.

fathom (n.) --- O.E. fæðm "length of the outstretched arm" (a measure of about six feet), also "arms, grasp," and, figuratively "power," from P.Gmc. *fathmaz "embrace" (cf. O.N. faðmr "embrace, bosom," O.S. fathmos "the outstretched arms," Du. vadem "a measure of six feet"), from PIE *pot-/*pet- denoting "stretching out" (cf. Gk. petalon "leaf," L. patere "to be open"). The v. meaning of "take soundings" is 1607; its figurative sense of "get to the bottom of, understand" is 1625.

fatigue --- 1669, from Fr. fatigue "weariness," from fatiguer "to tire," from L. fatigare, originally "to cause to break down," later, "to tire out," from reconstructed adj. *fati-agos "driving to the point of breakdown," from Old Latin *fatis (of unknown origin, related to adv. affatim "sufficiently" and to fatisci "crack, split") + root of agere "to drive" (see act). Fatigues appeared 1836, from sense of a soldier's non-military duties (1776).

Fatimid --- Arabic dynasty that ruled 908-1171 in N.Africa and sometimes Egypt and Syria, from Fatima, daughter of Muhammad by his first wife, Khadija; Fatima married Ali, and from them the dynasty claimed descent.

fatuous --- 1608, from L. fatuus "foolish, insipid," of uncertain origin.

fatwa --- 1625, from Arabic fetwa "a decision given by a mufti," related to fata "to instruct by a legal decision." Popularized 1989 when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a ruling sentencing author Salman Rushdie to death for publishing "The Satanic Verses" (1988). It was lifted 1998.

faubourg --- suburb, 1470, from M.Fr. faux bourg, from O.Fr. forsbourc, lit. "that which is outside the town," from fors "outside" (from L. foris) + bourc "town," of Frank. origin (cognate with Eng. borough). Alt. in M.Fr. by folk-etymology to faux bourg "false town" (suburbs looked on as inauthentic).

faucet --- c.1400, from O.Fr. fausset "stopper," perhaps dim. of L. faux, fauc- "throat." Spigot and faucet was the name of an old type of tap for a barrel or cask, consisting of a hollow, tapering tube, which was driven at the narrow end into a barrel, and a screw into the tube which regulated the flow of the liquid. Properly, it seems, the spigot was the tube, the faucet the screw, but the senses have merged or reversed over time. Faucet is now the common word in Amer.Eng. for the whole apparatus.

fault (n.) --- c.1280, "deficiency," from O.Fr. faute "lack, deficiency," from V.L. *fallita "a shortcoming, falling," n. use of fem. pp., from L. falsus, pp. of fallere "deceive, disappoint" (see false). The -l- was restored 1400s, probably in imitation of L., but was not pronounced till 18c. Sense of "physical defect" is from c.1320; that of "moral culpability" is first recorded 1377. Geological sense is from 1796. The use in tennis (1599) is closer to the etymological sense. The verb is first recorded 1559 in the sense "to find fault with." Faulty is from 1380.

faun --- c.1374, from L. Faunus, a god of the countryside, worshipped especially by farmers and shepherds, equivalent of Gk. Pan. Formerly men with goat horns and tails, later with goat legs, which caused them to be assimilated to satyrs. The plural is fauni.

fauna --- 1771, collective name for animals of a certain region or time, from L.L. Fauna, a Roman fertility goddess, wife, sister, or daughter (or some combination thereof) of Faunus. Popularized by Linnaeus (1707-78), who adopted it as a companion word to flora and used it in the title of his 1746 catalogue of the animals of Sweden, "Fauna Suecica." First used in Eng. by naturalist Gilbert White.

Fauntleroy --- in various usages, from the hero of Frances Hodgson Burnett's popular novel "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (1885).

Faustian --- 1876, a reference to Johann Faust (1488-1541), Ger. wandering astrologer and wizard, who was reputed to have sold his soul to the Devil. He was the hero of dramas by Marlowe and Goethe.

Fauviast --- movement in painting associated with Henri Matisse, 1915, from Fr. fauve, lit. "wild beast" (in O.Fr. "dark-colored thing, dull," from Frank. *falw-, from Gmc. root of fallow (adj.)), coined by Fr. art critic Louis Vauxcelles at Autumn Salon of 1905. It was a reaction against impressionism, featuring vivid use of colors.

faux pas --- 1674, from Fr. "false step." The word faux by itself, with Fr. pronunciation, borrowed into Eng. 1980s to mean "fake."

Favonius --- 1549, personification of the west wind in Roman mythology, OED says from L. favere "to favor;" Klein says by dissimilation from *fovonius, lit. "the warming wind," from fovere "to warm." This is the source (via O.H.G. phonno) of Ger. Föhn "warm, dry wind blowing down Alpine valleys."

favor (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. favor, from L. favorem (nom. favor) "good will or support," coined by Cicero from stem of favere "to show kindness to," from PIE *dhegh-/*dhogh- "burn." Meaning "thing given as a mark of favor" is from 1588. The verb meaning "to regard with favor" is from 1340.

favorite --- 1583, from M.Fr., from O.Fr. favorit, variant of favori, pp. of favorir "to favor." In racing, attested from 1813; slang shortened form fave first recorded 1938. Favoritism first attested 1763.

favour --- See favor.

fawn (n.) --- 1274, from O.Fr. faon "young animal," from V.L. *fetonem, acc. of *feto, from L. fetus "an offspring" (see fetus). Still used of the young of any animal in King James I's private translation of the Psalms, but mainly of deer from 15c. Color use is 1881.

fawn (v.) --- O.E. fagnian "rejoice," from fægen "glad" (see fain); used in M.E. to refer to expressions of delight, especially a dog wagging its tail, hence "act slavishly" (c.1310).

fax (n.) --- 1948, short for facsimile (telegraphy). The verb first attested 1979.

fay --- fairy, 1393, from O.Fr. fae, from V.L. fata, fem. sing of L. fata (neut. pl.), lit. "the Fates." Adj. meaning "homosexual" is attested from 1950s.

faze --- 1830 Amer.Eng. variant of Kentish dialect feeze "to frighten, alarm, discomfit" (c.1440), from O.E. fesian, fysian "drive away," from P.Gmc. *fausjanan.

fealty --- c.1300, from O.Fr. feauté, from L. fidelitatem (nom. fidelitas) "fidelity," from fidelis "loyal, faithful" (see fidelity).

fear (n.) --- O.E. fær "danger, peril," from P.Gmc. *færa (cf. O.S. far "ambush," O.N. far "harm, distress, deception," Ger. Gefahr "danger"), from PIE base *per- "to try, risk, come over, go through" (perhaps connected with Gk. peira "trial, attempt, experience," L. periculum "trial, risk, danger"). Sense of "uneasiness caused by possible danger" developed c.1175. The v. is from O.E. færan "terrify, frighten," originally transitive (sense preserved in archaic I fear me). Sense of "feel fear" is 1393. O.E. words for "fear" as we now use it were ege, fyrhto; as a verb, ondrædan. Fearsome is attested from 1768.

feasible --- capable of being done, accomplished or carried out, 1443, from Anglo-Fr. faisible, from O.Fr. faisible, from fais-, stem of faire "do, make," from L. facere "do, perform" (see factitious).

feast (n.) --- c.1200, from O.Fr. feste "festival, feast," from V.L. *festa (fem. sing.), from L. festa "holidays, feasts," from neut. pl. of festus "festive, joyful, merry," related to feriæ "holiday" and fanum "temple." The spelling -ea- was used in M.E. to represent the sound we mis-call "long e." The verb first attested c.1300.

feat --- 1362, "action, deeds," from Anglo-Fr. fet, from O.Fr. fait, from L. factum "thing done," a noun based on the pp. of facere "make, do" (see factitious). Sense of "exceptional or noble deed" arose c.1400 from phrase feat of arms (Fr. fait d'armes).

feather --- O.E. feðer "feather," in pl., "wings," from Gmc. *fethro (cf. O.N. fjöðr, M.Du. vedere, Ger. Feder), from PIE *petra-, zero degree *ptera- "wing, feather," from base *pet- "to rush, to fly" (see petition). To feather one's nest "enrich oneself" is from 1583. Feather-headed "silly" is from 1647. Feather-weight, the lightest allowable, is first recorded 1812, originally in horse-racing; boxing use dates from 1889.

feature (n.) --- c.1325, from Anglo-Fr. feture, from O.Fr. faiture "fashion, shape, form," from L. facura "a formation," from facere "make, do, perform" (see factitious). Sense of "facial characteristic" is c.1350; that of "any distinctive part" first recorded 1692. The v. sense of "make special display or attraction of" is 1888.

febrile --- 1651, from M.L. febrilis "pertaining to fever," from L. febris "a fever" (see fever).

February --- 1373, from L. februarius mensis "month of purification," from februa "purifications" (plural of februum), of unknown origin, said to be a Sabine word. The last month of the ancient (pre-450 B.C.E.) Roman calendar, so named in reference to the Roman feast of purification, held on the ides of the month. In Britain, replaced O.E. solmonað "mud month." English first (c.1200) borrowed it from O.Fr. Feverier, which yielded feoverel before a respelling to conform to Latin.

feces --- 1460, "dregs," from L. faeces "sediment, dregs," pl. of faex (gen. faecis) of unknown origin. Specific sense of "human excrement" is from 1639.

feckless --- 1599, from feck, "effect, value, vigor" (1470), Scot. shortened form of effect; popularized by Carlyle, who left its opposite, feckful, in dial. obscurity.

fecund --- c.1420, from O.Fr. fecond, from L. fecundus "fruitful, fertile," from *fe-kwondo-, suffixed form of L. base *fe-, corresponding to PIE *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle," also "produce, yield" (cf. Skt. dhayati "sucks," dhayah "nourishing;" Gk. thele "mother's breast, nipple," thelys "female, fruitful;" O.C.S. dojiti "to suckle," dojilica "nurse," deti "child;" Lith. dele "leech;" O.Prus. dadan "milk;" Goth. daddjan "to suckle;" O.Swed. dia "suckle;" O.H.G. tila "female breast;" O.Ir. denaim "I suck," dinu "lamb"). Also from the same L. base come felare "to suck;" femina "woman" (*fe-mna-, lit. "she who suckles"); felix "happy, auspicious, fruitful;" fetus "offspring, pregnancy;" fenum "hay" (probably lit. "produce"); and probably filia/filius "daughter/son," assimilated from *felios, originally "a suckling."

fed up --- see feed (v.).

fedayeen --- partisans or irregulars in the Middle East, from Arabic pl. of fedai "devotee, zealot, one who risks life for a cause," from Pers. fidai.

federal --- 1645, as a theological term, from L. foedus "covenant, league" (gen. foederis), related to fides "faith" (see faith). Meaning "pertaining to a treaty" (1660) led to political sense of "state formed by agreement among independent states" (1707), from phrases like federal union "union based on a treaty," popularized by formation of U.S.A. 1776-1787. Federation is first attested 1721, from L.L. foederationem, from L. foederare "league together." Federalism (1793) was coined by Burke. Federalist "member or supporter of the Federal party in U.S. politics" is from 1787. Fed slang for "officer of the FBI" is from 1916.

fedora --- 1895, Amer.Eng. (in a Montgomery Ward catalogue), from "Fédora," a popular play by Victorien Sardou (1831-1908) that opened 1882, in which the heroine, a Rus. princess named Fédora Romanoff, was originally performed by Sarah Bernhardt. During the play, Bernhardt, a notorious cross-dresser, wore a center-creased, soft brimmed hat. Women’s-rights activists adopted the fashion. Men began to wear them with city clothes after 1924, led by Britain's Prince Edward (Edward VIII), the most influential man of fashion in his day. The fem. proper name is Rus. fem. of Fedor, from Gk. Theodoros, lit. "gift of god," from theos "god" + doron "gift."

fee --- 1292, from O.Fr. fieu, from M.L. feodum "land or other property whose use is granted in return for service," probably from Frank. *fehu-od "payment-estate," in which the first element is cognate with O.E. feoh "money, property, cattle" (also Ger. Vieh "cattle," Goth. faihu "money, fortune"), from PIE *peku- "cattle" (cf. Skt. pasu, Lith. pekus "cattle;" L. pecu "cattle," pecunia "money, property"); second element similar to O.E. ead "wealth." Sense of "payment for services" first recorded c.1390. Fee-simple is "absolute ownership," as opposed to fee-tail "entailed ownership," inheritance limited to some particular class of heirs (from O.Fr. taillir "to cut, to limit").

feeble --- c.1175, from O.Fr. feible, by dissimilation from L. flebilis "lamentable," lit. "that is to be wept over," from flere "weep." The first -l- was dropped in O.Fr. by dissimilation.

feed (v.) --- O.E. fedan "nourish, feed," from P.Gmc. *fothjanan (cf. O.S. fodjan, O.Fris. feda, Goth. fodjan "to feed"). The noun sense of "food for animals" is first attested 1588. Fed up "surfeited, disgusted, bored," is British slang first recorded 1900, extended to U.S. by World War I; probably from earlier phrases like fed up to the back teeth. In the electronic sense, feedback is from 1920. Feeding frenzy is from 1989, metaphoric extension of a phrase that had been used of sharks since 1950s.

feel (v.) --- O.E. felan "to touch," from Gmc. *folijanan (cf. Du. voelen, Ger. fühlen "to feel," O.N. falma "to grope"), from PIE base *(s)pol-/*(s)pal- "to strike softly" (cf. Gk. psallein "to pluck (the harp)," L. palpare "to touch softly, stroke," palpitare "to move quickly"). The sense in O.E. was "to perceive through senses which are not referred to any special organ." Sense of "be conscious of a sensation or emotion" developed by c.1290; that of "to have sympathy or compassion" is from 1605; feeling (n.) "emotion" is first recorded 1369; feelings "tender or sensitive side of one's nature" is 1771. Noun sense of "sexual grope" is from 1932; from verbal phrase to feel (someone) up (1930).

feign --- 1300, from O.Fr. feign-, pres. stem of feindre "pretend, shirk," from L. fingere "devise, fabricate" (see fiction).

feint (n.) --- 1679, from Fr. feinte "a feint, sham," from O.Fr. feint, originally fem. pp. of feindre (see feign). Borrowed c.1314 as adj., but now obsolete in that sense. The v. "to make a sham attack" is first attested 1833.

feisty --- 1896, Amer.Eng. from feist "small dog," from fice, fist Amer.Eng. 1805 "small dog," short for fysting curre "stinking cur," attested from 1529, from M.E. fysten, fisten "break wind" (1440), related to O.E. fisting "stink." The 1811 slang dictionary defines fice as "a small windy escape backwards, more obvious to the nose than ears; frequently by old ladies charged on their lap-dogs." Cf. also Dan. fise "to blow, to fart," and obs. Eng. askefise, lit. "fire-blower, ash-blower," from an unrecorded O.N. source, used in M.E. for a kind of bellows, but orig. "a term of reproach among northern nations for an unwarlike fellow who stayed at home in the chimney corner" [OED]

feldspar --- 1757, from Ger. Feldspath, from Feld "field" + spath "spar, non-metallic mineral, gypsum."

felicity --- c.1385, from O.Fr. felicite, from L. felicitatem (nom. felicitas) "happiness," from felix (gen. felicis) "happy, fortunate," from L. base *fe-, equivalent of PIE *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle, produce, yield" (see fecund).

feline --- 1681, from L.L. felinus "of or belonging to a cat," from L. feles (gen. felis) "cat, wild cat, marten," of uncertain origin.

fell (adj.) --- c.1275, from O.Fr. fel "cruel, fierce," from M.L. fello "villain" (see felon). Phrase at one fell swoop is from "Macbeth."