adjective
1.
British Dialect. doomed; fated to die.
2.
Chiefly Scot. appearing to be under a spell; marked by an apprehension of death, calamity, or evil.
3.
supernatural; unreal; enchanted: elves, fairies, and other fey creatures.
4.
being in unnaturally high spirits, as were formerly thought to precede death.
5.
whimsical; strange; otherworldly: a strange child with a mysterious smile and a fey manner.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English fǣge doomed to die; cognate with Old Norse feigr doomed, German feig cowardly
before 900; Middle English; Old English fǣge doomed to die; cognate with Old Norse feigr doomed, German feig cowardly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To fey
00:10
Fey
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
fey (feɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | interested in or believing in the supernatural |
| 2. | attuned to the supernatural; clairvoyant; visionary |
| 3. | chiefly (Scot) fated to die; doomed |
| 4. | chiefly (Scot) in a state of high spirits or unusual excitement, formerly believed to presage death |
| [Old English fæge marked out for death; related to Old Norse feigr doomed, Old High German feigi] | |
| 'feyness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Fey is a comedy writer, not really an actress, but she plays herself convincingly.
Fey first provided the group with an appreciation of what was going on around the country.
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