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

fell (v.) --- O.E. fællan, (Mercian) fyllan (W.Saxon) "make fall," also "demolish, kill," from P.Gmc. *fallijanan (cf. O.N. fella, Du. fellen, O.H.G. fellan), causative of *fallan (O.E. feallan, see fall (v.)), showing i-mutation.

fellah --- Egyptian peasant, 1743, from Arabic fallah "plowman."

fellatio --- 1887, from L. fellatus, pp. of fellare "to suck," from PIE base *dhe- (see fecund). The sexual partner performing fellatio is a fellator; if female, a fellatrice or fellatrix.

fellow --- O.E. feolaga "partner," from O.N. felagi, from fe "money" + verbal base denoting "lay." Sense is of "one who puts down money with another in a joint venture." Used familiarly since M.E. for "man, male person," but not etymologically masculine. University senses (c.1449, corresponding to L. socius) evolved from notion of "one of the corporation who constitute a college" and who are paid from its revenues. Fellowship (c.1200) in M.E. was a euphemism for "sexual intercourse." Fellow-feeling (1613) attempted to translate L. compassio and Gk. sympatheia. First record of fellow-traveler in sense of "one who sympathizes with the Communist movement but is not a party member," is from 1936, translating Rus. poputchik.

felon --- 1297, from O.Fr. felon "wicked person, traitor, rebel," from M.L. fellonem "evil-doer," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Frank. *fillo, *filljo "person who whips or beats, scourger" (cf. O.H.G. fillen "to whip"); or from L. fel "gall, poison," on the notion of "one full of bitterness." Another theory (advanced by Professor R. Atkinson of Dublin) traces it to L. fellare "to suck" (see fecund), which had an obscene secondary meaning in classical L. (well-known to readers of Martial and Catullus), which would make a felon etymologically a "cock-sucker." OED inclines toward the "gall" explanation, but finds Atkinson's "most plausible" of the others. Felony is c.1290.

felt (n.) --- O.E. felt, from W.Gmc. *feltaz (cf. M.Du. vilt, O.H.G. filz, Da. filt), from P.Gmc. *peltaz "something beaten," from PIE *peldos- (cf. O.C.S. plusti), with a sense of "beating."

female (n.) --- c.1315, from O.Fr. femelle, from M.L. femella "a female," from L. femella "young female, girl," dim. of femina "woman" (see feminine). Sense extended in V.L. from humans to female of other animals. Spelling alt. late 14c. on mistaken parallel of male. Reference to sockets, etc., is from 1669.

feme covert --- married woman (legalese), 1602, from Fr., from O.Fr. feme coverte, second element fem. of covert "covered." Contrasted to feme sole.

feminine --- c.1384, "of the female sex," from O.Fr. feminin, from L. femininus "feminine" (in the grammatical sense at first), from femina "woman, female," lit. "she who suckles," from base of felare "to suck, suckle" (see fecund). Sense of "woman-like, proper to or characteristic of women" is recorded from c.1440. Feminism is from 1851, but meant at first "state of being feminine;" sense of "advocacy of women's rights" is 1895. Feminist is 1894, from Fr. féministe (1872).

femme --- from Fr., lit. "woman." Slang meaning "passive and more feminine partner in a lesbian couple" is first attested 1961; femme fatale "attractive and dangerous woman" attested from 1912.

femur --- 1563, from L. femur "thigh," borrowed first as an architectural term, 1799 as "thighbone." The adj. femoral (1782) is from L. gen. femoris.

fen --- O.E. fen, fenn "marsh, dirt, mud," from P.Gmc. *fanja- (cf. O.Fris. fenne, Du. veen, Ger. Fenn "marsh," Goth. fani "mud"); probably cognate with Gaul. anam "water," Skt. pankah "bog, marsh, mud," O.Prus. pannean "swampland." It., Sp. fango, O.Fr. fanc, Fr. fange "mud" are loan-words from Gmc. The native L. word was limus or lutum.

fence (n.) --- c.1330, shortening of defens (see defense). Spelling alternated between -c- and -s- in M.E. Sense of "enclosure" is first recorded 1512. Fencible (c.1325) means "capable of making a defense." Sense of "dealer in stolen goods" is thieves' slang, first attested c.1700, from notion of such transactions taking place under defense of secrecy. To be figuratively on the fence "uncommitted" is from 1828, from the notion of spectators at a fight.

fence (v.) --- fight with swords, 1598, first recorded in "Merry Wives of Windsor"; from the noun in this sense (1533), see fence (n.). Fencing is from 1581. In spite of the re-enactment in 1285 of the Assize of Arms of 1181, fencing was regarded as unlawful in England. The keeping of fencing schools was forbidden in the City of London, "as fools who delight in mischief do learn to fence with buckler, and thereby are encouraged in their follies."

fend --- c.1300, shortening of defend. To fend for oneself (1629) is to see to one's own defense.

fender --- 1279, shortening of defender, used of boats at first, of fireplaces since 1688; application to automobiles is 1919.

feng-shui --- 1797, from Chinese, from feng "wind" + shui "water." A system of spiritual influences in natural landscapes and a means of regulating them.

Fenian --- 1816, blend of O.Ir. feinne, pl. of fiann, name of a band of Ir. warriors + O.Ir. Fene, name of the ancient inhabitants of Ireland. Ref. to Irish-Amer. brotherhood of that name first attested 1864.

fennel --- O.E. fenol, finugl, from V.L. fenuculum, from L. feniculum, from fenum "hay," probably lit. "produce" (see fecund). Apparently so called from its hay-like appearance and sweet odor.

fer de lance --- large poisonous snake of Amer. tropics, 1880, from Fr., "lance-head," lit. "iron of a lance." So called for its shape.

feral --- 1604, from M.Fr. feral "wild," from L. fera, in phrase fera bestia "wild beast," from ferus "wild" (see fierce).

Ferdinand --- male proper name, of Gmc. origin, first element perhaps P.Gmc. *farði, abstract noun from base *far- "to fare, travel;" second element perhaps related to O.E. neðan, O.H.G. nendan "to risk, venture."

fere --- companion (obsolete), from M.E. fere, aphetic of O.E. gefera, from base of faran "to go, travel" (cf. Ger. Gefährte "companion").

Fergus --- male proper name, from Gael. Fearghus or O.Ir. Fergus "man-ability," first element cognate with L. vir "man," second from O.Ir. gus "ability, excellence, strength, inclination," from Celt. root *gustu- "choice," from PIE base *gustu- "to taste."

Feringhee --- name used in India for "European," 1634, from Pers. Farangi, from Arabic Faranji (10c.), from O.Fr. Franc "Frank" + Arabic ethnic suffix -i. The fr- sound is not possible in Arabic.

fermata --- 1876, musical term, from It., lit. "stop, pause," from fermare "to fasten, to stop," from fermo "strong, fastened," from L. firmus (see firm (adj.)).

ferment --- 1398, from L. fermentare "to leaven, ferment," from fermentum "substance causing fermentation, leaven," from root of fervere "to boil, seethe" (see brew).

fern --- O.E. fearn, from P.Gmc. *farnan (cf. M.Du. varn, Ger. Farn), from PIE *porno-, a root which has yielded words for "feather, wing" (cf. Skt. parnam "feather;" Lith. papartis "fern;" Russ. paporot; Gk. pteris "fern," pteron "feather"), from base *per- (see petition). Applied to the plant perhaps from the feather-like appearance of the fronds. The plant's ability to appear as if from nothing accounts for the ancient belief that fern seeds conferred invisibility.

ferocity --- 1606, from Fr. férocité, from L. ferocitatem (nom. ferocitas) "fierceness," from ferocis, an oblique case of ferox "fierce, wild-looking," a derivative of ferus "wild" (see fierce) + -ox, -ocem (gen. -ocis), a suffix meaning "looking or appearing" (cognate with Gk. ops "eye, sight"). Ferocious is first recorded 1646.

ferret --- 1398, from O.Fr. fuiret, dim. of fuiron "weasel, ferret," lit. "thief," from L.L. furionem (related to furonem "cat," and also "robber"), probably from L. fur (gen. furis) "thief." The verb (c.1450) refers to the use of half-tame ferrets to kill rats and flush rabbits from burrows; the extended sense of "search out, discover" is 1580.

Ferris wheel --- 1893, Amer.Eng., from U.S. engineer George W.G. Ferris (1859-96), who designed it for the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago, 1893. It was 250 feet tall and meant to rival the Eiffel Tower, from the 1889 Paris Exposition.

ferrous --- 1865, from L. ferreus "made of iron," from ferrum "iron."

ferrule --- metal cap on a rod, 1410, from O.Fr. virelle, from L. viriola "bracelet," dim. of viriæ "bracelets," from a Gaulish word (cf. O.Ir. fiar "bent, crooked"); spelling infl. by L. ferrum "iron."

ferry (v.) --- O.E. ferian "to carry, transport," from P.Gmc. *farjanan, from PIE *por- "going, passage." Related to fare (v.). The n. is c.1425, perhaps earlier and from O.N. ferju- "passage across water," ult. from the same Gmc. root. The modern n. use (1590) is a shortening of ferry boat (c.1440).

fertile --- 1436, from L. fertilis "bearing in abundance, fruitful, productive," from ferre "to bear" (see infer). Fertilize is 1648; its biological sense of "unite with an egg cell" is first recorded 1859. Fertile Crescent (1914) was coined by U.S. archaeologist James H. Breasted (1865-1935). Fertilizer as a euphemism for "manure" is from 1846.

ferule --- c.1420, from M.E. ferula "fennel plant," from L. ferula "fennel plant or rod," probably related to festuca "stalk, straw, rod."

fervent --- 1340, from L. fervens (gen. ferventis) "glowing," prp. of fervere "to boil, glow," from PIE base *bhreu- (see brew). The figurative sense of "impassioned" is first attested c.1400.

fervid --- 1599, from L. fervidus "glowing, burning, vehement," from fervere "to boil, glow" (see brew). Figurative sense of "impassioned" is from 1656.

fervor --- 1340, "warmth or glow of feeling," from O.Fr. fervor, from L. fervor "a boiling, violent heat, passion," from fervere "to boil" (see brew).

fescue --- 1513, "pointer," from O.Fr. festue, a kind of straw, from L. festuca "straw, stalk, rod," probably related to ferula (see ferule). Sense of "pasture, lawn grass" is first recorded 1762.

-fest --- in compounds such as hen-fest, gab-fest, etc., 1889, Amer.Eng., borrowed from Ger. Fest "festival," abstracted from Volksfest, etc., from M.H.G. vëst, from L. festum (see festivity).

festal --- 1479, from O.Fr. festal, from L. festum "feast."

fester (v.) --- 1377, from O.Fr. festre, from L. fistula "pipe, ulcer" (see fistula). The noun is from 1300.

festivity --- 1387, from O.Fr. festivité, from L. festivitatem (nom. festivitas), from festivus "festive," from festum "festival or holiday," neut. of festus "of a feast." Festival first recorded as a noun 1589, having been an adj. 14c., from M.L. festivalis "of a church holiday."

festoon (n.) --- 1630, from Fr. feston, from It. festone, lit. "a festive ornament," from festa "celebration, feast," from V.L. *festa (see feast). The verb is attested from 1789.

Festus --- male proper name, from L., lit. "solemn, joyous, festive."

fetch --- O.E. feccan, apparently a variant of fetian, fatian "to fetch, bring, to marry," probably from P.Gmc. *fatojanan (cf. O.N. feta "to find one's way," O.H.G. sih faggon "to mount, climb"), related to O.E. fot "foot." Variant form fet, a derivation of the older O.E. version of the word, survived as a competitor until 17c. Fetching (adj.) appeared 1581 meaning "crafty, scheming;" the sense of "alluring, fascinating" is 1880.

fete (n.) --- 1754, from Fr. fête "festival, feast," from O.Fr. feste (see feast). First used in Eng. by Horace Walpole (1717-97). The verb is from 1819.

fetid --- 1599, from L. fetidus "stinking," from fetere "have a bad smell, stink." Perhaps connected with fimus "dung," or with fumus "smoke."

fetish --- 1613, fatisso, from Port. fetiço "charm, sorcery," originally feitiço "made artfully, artificial," from L. facticius "made by art," from facere "to make" (see factitious). L. facticius in Sp. has become hechizo "magic, witchcraft, sorcery." Probably introduced by Port. sailors and traders as a name for charms and talismans worshipped by the inhabitants of the Guinea coast of Africa. Popularized in anthropology by C. de Brosses' Le Culte des Dieux Fétiches (1760), which influenced the word's spelling in Eng. (Fr. fétiche, also from the Port. word). Figurative sense of "something irrationally revered" is Amer.Eng. 1837. Fetishism in the purely psycho-sexual sense first recorded 1897 in writings of Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939). "In certain perversions of the sexual instinct, the person, part of the body, or particular object belonging to the person by whom the impulse is excited, is called the fetish of the patient." [E. Morselli in "Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy," 1901]

fetlock --- c.1325, fetlak, from a Gmc. source (cf. M.H.G. fizlach, Ger. Fiszloch), perhaps related to the root of Ger. fessel "pastern." The M.E. dim. suffix -ok (from O.E. -oc) was misread and the word taken in folk etymology as being a compound of feet and lock (of hair).

fetta --- 1956, from Mod.Gk. (tyri) pheta, from tyri "cheese" + pheta, from It. fetta "a slice," from L. offa "a morsel, piece."

fetter (n.) --- O.E. feter "chain or shackle for the feet," from P.Gmc. *fetero (cf. Du. veter, O.H.G. fezzera, O.N. fioturr), from PIE root *ped- "foot" (see foot). The generalized sense of "anything that shackles" had evolved in O.E. The verb is first recorded c.1300.

fettle --- condition, state, trim, c.1750, from v. sense "to make ready, arrange" (14c.), from O.E. fetel "a girdle, belt," from P.Gmc. *fatiloz (cf. Ger. fessel, O.N. fetill), from *fat- "to hold."

fetus --- 1398, from L. fetus "the bearing, bringing forth, or hatching of young," from L. base *fe- "to generate, bear," also "to suck, suckle" (see fecund). In L., this was sometimes transferred figuratively to the newborn creature itself, or used in a sense of "offspring, brood" (cf. "Germania quos horrida parturit fetus," Horace), but this was not the basic meaning. Also used of plants, in the sense of "fruit, produce, shoot." The adj. fetal was formed in Eng. 1811. The spelling foetus is sometimes attempted as a learned Latinism, but it is not historic.

feud --- c.1300, fede, northern Eng. and Scottish, from O.Fr. fede, from O.H.G. fehida "contention, quarrel, feud," from P.Gmc. *faihitha, noun of state from *faiho- (adj.), related to O.E. fæhð "enmity." The whole group is connected to modern Eng. foe (q.v.). Sense of "vendetta" is c.1425. Alteration of spelling in 16c. is unexplained.

feudal --- 1614, from M.L. feudalis, from feudum "feudal estate," of Gmc. origin (cf. Goth. faihu "property," O.H.G. fihu "cattle," see fee). Related to M.E. feodary "one who holds lands of an overlord in exchange for service" (1387). Feudalism is a coinage of historians, first attested 1839.

feuilleton --- part of a Fr. newspaper devoted to light literature and criticism (usually at the bottom of a page and separated by a rule), 1845, from Fr., lit. "a leaflet (added to a newspaper)," dim. of feuille "leaf," from L. folium (see folio). "Esp. applied in F. to the short story or serial with which newspapers filled up after the fall of Napoleon left them short of war news. This was the beginning of Dumas' and Eugène Sue's long novels." [Weekley]

fever --- late O.E. fefor, from L. febris "fever," related to fovere "to warm, heat," probably from PIE base *dhegh- "burn" (cf. Goth. dags, O.E. dæg "day," originally "the heat"); but some suggest a reduplication of a root represented by Skt. *bhur- "to be restless." Adopted into most Gmc. languages (cf. Ger. fieber, Sw. feber, Da. fever), but not in Du. Eng. spelling infl. by O.Fr. fievre. Replaced O.E. hriðing. Extended sense of "intense nervous excitement" is from 1586.

feverfew --- O.E. feferfuge, from L.L. febrifugia, from L. febris "fever" + fugare "put to flight;" so called for its medical usage.

few (adj.) --- O.E. feawe (contracted to fea), from Gmc. *faw- (cf. O.N. far, Dan. faa, O.Fris. fe, O.H.G. foh "little," Goth. fawai "few"), from PIE *pau- "smallness" (cf. L. paucus "few, little," paullus "little," pauper "poor;" Gk. pauros "few, little," pais (gen. paidos) "child;" L. puer "child, boy," pullus "young animal;" Oscan puklu "child;" Skt. potah "a young animal," putrah "son;" O.C.S. puta "bird;" Lith. putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in O.E. Phrase few and far between attested from 1668. Unusual ironic use in quite a few "many" (1883), earlier a good few (1828). "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." [Winston Churchill, 1940]

fey --- of excitement that presages death, from O.E. fæge "doomed to die," also "timid;" and/or from O.N. feigr, both from P.Gmc. *faigjo- (cf. M.Du. vege, M.H.G. veige "doomed," also "timid," Ger. feige "cowardly"). Preserved in Scottish. Sense of "displaying unearthly qualities" and "disordered in the mind (like one about to die)" led to modern ironic sense of "affected."

fez --- 1802, from Fr. fez, from Turk. fes, probably ult. from Fez, the city in Morocco, where this type of tasseled cap was principally made.

fiancee --- 1853, from Fr. fianceé, fem. of fiancé, pp. of fiancer "betrothed," from O.Fr. fiancer, from fiance "a promise, trust," from fier "to trust," from V.L. *fidare (see affiance). Has all but expelled native betrothed. The verb fiance, now obsolete, was used c.1450-1600 for "to engage to be married."

fianchetto --- chess move, from It., dim. of fianco "flank" (n.).

fiasco --- 1855, theater slang for "a failure," by 1862 acquired the general sense of any dismal flop, on or off the stage. Via Fr. phrase fiare fiasco "turn out a failure," from It. far fiasco "suffer a complete breakdown in performance," lit. "make a bottle," from fiasco "bottle," from L.L. flasco, flasconem (see flask). The reason for all this is utterly obscure today, but "the usual range of fanciful theories has been advanced" [Ayto]. Weekley finds it utterly mysterious and compares Fr. ramasser un pelle "to come a cropper (in bicycling), lit. to pick up a shovel." OED makes nebulous reference to "alleged incidents in Italian theatrical history." Klein suggests Venetian glass-crafters tossing aside imperfect pieces to be made later into common flasks. But according to an Italian dictionary, fare il fiasco used to mean "to play a game so that the one that loses will pay the fiasco," in other words, he will buy the next bottle (of wine). That plausibly connects the word with the notion of "a costly mistake."

fiat --- 1384, from fiat lux "let there be light" in the Book of Genesis, from L. fiat "let it be done" (also used in the opening of M.L. proclamations and commands), third pers. sing. pres. subjunctive of fieri, used as passive of facere "to make, do" (see factitious).

fib (n.) --- 1611, of uncertain origin, perhaps from fibble-fable "nonsense" (1581), a reduplication of fable. The verb is attested from 1690.

fiber --- 1540, from Fr. fibre, from O.Fr. fibre, from L. fibra "a fiber, filament," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to L. filum "thread," or from root of findere "to split." Fiberboard is from 1897, Fiberglas is 1937, U.S. registered trademark name; and fiber optics is 1956. Medical fibrosis (1873) is a Mod.L. hybrid, with Gk. suffix -osis.

fibula --- 1706, from L. fibula "clasp, brooch," used in reference to the outer leg bone as a loan-translation of Gk. perone "bone in the lower leg," originally "clasp, brooch;" the bone was so called because it resembles a clasp like a modern safety pin.

-fication --- suffix meaning "a making or causing," from L. -ficationem, acc. of -ficatio, ult. from facere "to make, do" (see factitious).

fiche --- 1949, from Fr. fiche "slip of paper, form," from O.Fr. fiche "point," from ficher "to fix, fasten," from V.L. *figicare, from L. figere "to fix, fasten" (see fix). Sense of "card, strip of film" is a shortening of microfiche (1950).

fickle --- O.E. ficol "deceitful," related to befician "deceive," and to facen "deceit, treachery." Common Gmc. (cf. O.S. fekan, O.H.G. feihhan "deceit, fraud, treachery"), from PIE *peig- "evil-minded, treacherous, hostile" (cf. L. piget "it irks, troubles, displeases," piger "reluctant, lazy"). Sense of "changeable" is first recorded c.1275.

fiction --- 1398, "something invented," from L. fictionem (nom. fictio) "a fashioning or feigning," from fingere "to shape, form, devise, feign," originally "to knead, form out of clay," from PIE *dheigh- (cf. O.E. dag "dough;" see dough). As a type of literature, 1599. Fictitious is 1615, from M.L. fictitus, a misspelling of L. ficticius "artificial, counterfeit," from fictus, pp. of fingere.

fiddle (n.) --- O.E. fiðele, related to O.N. fiðla, M.Du. vedele, Ger. Fiedel, all probably from M.L. vitula "stringed instrument," perhaps related to L. vitularia "celebrate joyfully," from Vitula, Roman goddess of joy and victory, who probably, like her name, originated among the Sabines. The verb is from 1377; the fig. sense of "to act idly" is from 1530. The word has been relegated to colloquial usage by its more proper cousin, violin (q.v.), a process encouraged by phraseology such as fiddlestick (15c., originally "the bow of a fiddle;" meaning "nonsense" is from 1621) and fiddle-faddle (1577), which is unrelated, being a reduplication of obsolete faddle "to trifle." Fiddler's Green first recorded 1825, from sailors' slang. Fiddler crab is from 1714. Fiddle-head "one with a head as hollow as a fiddle" is from 1887. Fit as a fiddle is from 1616.

fidelity --- 1494, from M.Fr. fidélité, from L. fidelitatem (nom. fidelitas) "faithfulness, adherence," from fidelis "faithful," from fides "faith" (see faith).

fidget (n.) --- 1674, as the fidget "uneasiness," later the fidgets, from a 16c. v. fidge "move restlessly," from M.E. fiken "to fidget, hasten," from O.N. fikjask "to desire eagerly" (cf. Ger. ficken "to move about briskly;" see fuck). The v. fidget is first attested 1672 (implied in fidgetting).

fiduciary --- 1640, from L. fiduciarius "(holding) in trust," from fidere "to trust" (see faith). In Roman law, fiducia was "a right transferred in trust;" paper currency sense (1878) is because its value depends on the trust of the public.

fie --- 1297, possibly from O.Fr. fi, reinforced by a Scand. form (cf. O.N. fy); it's a general sound of disgust that seems to have developed independently in most languages.

fief --- 1611, from Fr. fief, from O.Fr., a variant of fieu "fee" (see fee).

field (n.) --- O.E. feld "plain, open land" (as opposed to woodland), also "a parcel of land marked off and used for pasture or tillage," probably related to O.E. folde "earth, land," from P.Gmc. *felthuz "flat land," from PIE *pel(e)-tu-, from base *pele- "flat, to spread" (cf. L. planus "flat, level," O.C.S. polje "field;" see plane (1)). Common W.Gmc. (cf. O.Fris. feld, M.H.G. velt, Ger. Feld), but not found outside it (Sw. fält, Dan. felt are borrowed from Ger.), though Finnish pelto "field" is believed to have been adapted from P.Gmc. The Eng. spelling with -ie- is probably the work of Anglo-Fr. scribes. The verb meaning "to go out to fight" is 16c., from the n. in the sense of "battlefield" (c.1300). Collective use for "all engaged in a sport" (or, in horseracing, all but the favorite) is 1742; play the field "avoid commitment" (1936) is from notion of gamblers betting on other horses than the favorite. The verb meaning "to stop and return the ball" is first recorded 1823, originally in cricket; figurative sense is from 1902. Field day (1747) was originally a day of military exercise and review; fig. sense is from 1827.

fiend --- O.E. feond "enemy, foe," originally prp. of feogan "to hate," from P.Gmc. *fijæjan (cf. O.N. fjandi, O.H.G. fiant, Goth. fijands, like the O.E. word all prp. forms), from PIE base *pei-/*pi- "to blame, revile" (cf. Goth. faian "to blame;" see passion). As spelling suggests, it was originally the opposite of friend, but the word began to be used in O.E. for "Satan" (as the "enemy of mankind"), which shifted its sense to "diabolical person" (c.1220). The old sense of the word devolved to foe, then to the borrowed enemy. For spelling with -ie- see field. Meaning "devotee (of whatever is indicated)," cf. dope fiend, is from 1865.