English
fairy
Fairy comes from Middle English faierie ‘the land or domain in which magical or…’, from Latin fāta ‘goddess of fate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-tó-sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fātosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfātus‘oracle, prophecy, fate’next step skipped: Latin fātum
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfāta‘goddess of fate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400faerie‘the sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or dream associated with the fae (fays)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500faierie‘the land or domain in which magical or mythological creatures live’
- Englishearliest quotation 1630fairy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-tó-sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fātosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfātus‘oracle, prophecy, fate’next step skipped: Latin fātum
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfāta‘goddess of fate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400faerie‘the sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or dream associated with the fae (fays)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500faierie‘the land or domain in which magical or mythological creatures live’
- Englishearliest quotation 1630fairy
Earliest quotation: 1630, Michael Drayton, The Muses Elizium: “But for a dreſſing for her head I thinke…”
Formed from fay + -ry
Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- ‘to fasten, place’
Proto-Germanic *fōgijaną ‘to join’
Proto-West Germanic *fōgijan ‘to fit together, join’
Old English fēġan ‘to join, unite’
Middle English feyen
English fay
The story
Attested in English from about 1330, in King Alisaunder, first in the sense of "enchantment, illusion, dream" ("that thou herdest is fairye") and shortly thereafter "realm of the fays, fairy-land" and "the inhabitants of fairyland, collectively". The re-interpretation of the term as a countable noun denoting individual inhabitants of fairy-land can be traced to the 1390s, but became common only in the 16th century, perhaps due to reinterpreting phrases like faerie knight.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
phone, focus, professor, fuel, ben, phase, famous, ban, favourite, favor, photographer, fantasy, emphasis, phenomenon, profession, bee, fancy, abandon, fame, confession, fabulous, confess, phantom, symphony, beacon, infant, beck, boon, eff, bane, prophetic, epiphany, foyer, banish, buoy, fab, bene, fay, banal, fable, 126 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂-tó-s
through Latin fātus ‘oracle, prophecy, fate’
through Latin fāta ‘goddess of fate’
through Old French faerie ‘the sphere or realm of enchantment, magic or…’
Today it means
noun A mythical being of human form with magical powers, known in many sizes and descriptions, although typically depicted as a small sprite with gauze-like wings, especially one that is female. Fairies are revered in some modern forms of paganism.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / fairy