fey

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /feɪ/ UK /feɪ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

fay /feɪ/

adj

Meanings

1

adj
otherworldly or whimsical; (Scots) doomed or fated to die

There was something fey and dreamlike about the child.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · otherworldly or whimsical;... otherworldly whimsical elfin ethereal sprightly doomed fated

Opposites

mundane earthly prosaic

Word family

Derived forms feylyfeyness

Etymology

From Old English fǣge ('doomed to die, fated'), from Proto-Germanic *faigijaz ('doomed, near death'); the modern 'otherworldly, whimsical' sense developed by association with the fairy world.

fǣge Old English *faigijaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# fey

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** feɪ
**IPA (UK):** feɪ

## Meanings
1. otherworldly or whimsical; (Scots) doomed or fated to die

## Examples
- There was something fey and dreamlike about the child.

## Synonyms
- otherworldly
- whimsical
- elfin
- ethereal
- sprightly
- doomed
- fated

## Antonyms
- mundane
- earthly
- prosaic

## Derived Forms
- feyly
- feyness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fǣge
- Root: *faigijaz

## Etymology
From Old English fǣge ('doomed to die, fated'), from Proto-Germanic *faigijaz ('doomed, near death'); the modern 'otherworldly, whimsical' sense developed by association with the fairy world.

## AI Etymology
Fey comes from Old English fǣge ('doomed to die, fated'), from Proto-Germanic *faigijaz ('doomed, near death'); the modern 'otherworldly, whimsical' sense developed by association with the fairy world. The historical trail runs through Old English fǣge and Proto-Germanic *faigijaz. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means otherworldly or whimsical; (Scots) doomed or fated to die. Derived formations include feyly, feyness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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fey

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