English
Fanta
Fanta comes from German Fantasie ‘imagination’, from Middle High German fantasīe ‘fantasy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-n-yé-tireconstructedthematic yé-present of *bʰeh₂-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáňňō‘to appear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφαίνωphaínō‘to shine’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντός‘visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντᾰ́ζωphăntắzō‘to make visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰ́ντᾰσῐς
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντᾰσῐ́ᾱ‘look, appearance, presentation, display’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphantasia‘fancy, idea, notion’
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350fantasīe‘fantasy’
- Germanc. 1650–presentFantasie‘imagination’
- Englishearliest quotation 1996Fanta
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-n-yé-tireconstructedthematic yé-present of *bʰeh₂-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáňňō‘to appear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφαίνωphaínō‘to shine’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντός‘visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντᾰ́ζωphăntắzō‘to make visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰ́ντᾰσῐς
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφᾰντᾰσῐ́ᾱ‘look, appearance, presentation, display’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphantasia‘fancy, idea, notion’
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350fantasīe‘fantasy’
- Germanc. 1650–presentFantasie‘imagination’
- Englishearliest quotation 1996Fanta
Earliest quotation: 1996, Neil Peart, People on the Bus: “An hour later we were stuffed with smoked fish,…”
The story
Marketing coinage, derived from German Fantasie (‘imagination’), which employees were exhorted to use in inventing a name for the new drink.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine’
phone, focus, professor, fuel, ben, famous, favourite, favor, photographer, ban, profession, bee, fate, fame, confession, fabulous, confess, fairy, abandon, symphony, beacon, beck, fatal, boon, eff, infant, prophetic, foyer, buoy, fab, profess, bane, bene, fay, fable, banish, nefarious, prophesy, cacophony, infamy, 118 more
through Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō ‘to appear’
through Ancient Greek φαίνω ‘to shine’
emphasis, phenomenon, epiphany, phenomenology, phenol, phenom, tryptophan, 44 more
through Ancient Greek φᾰντᾰ́ζω ‘to make visible’
through Latin phantasia ‘fancy, idea, notion’
Another origin of Fanta
- Italianc. 1300–presentfante‘lad, chum’uncertain
- Germanc. 1650–presentFant‘dandy, inexperienced person’uncertain
- Czechmodernse‘to go crazy’
- Czech, derivedmodernFanta
- Englishtodaysame form
Today it means
name A brand of fruit-flavoured carbonated drink produced by the Coca-Cola Company.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / Fanta