Fabulous
/ˈfæb.jə.ləs/noun
Extraordinary, wonderful, or almost too impressive to believe.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *fabula* (“story, tale, fable”), so *fabulous* originally meant “like a tale” or “fit for a story,” not just “good-looking” or “glamorous.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bha-
“to speak, tell, say”
Latin
Latin
fabula
“a tale, story, fable”
Late Latin
Latin
fabulosus
“fabled, legendary, much talked about”
Old French
Old French
fabulos
“fabulous, legendary, marvelous”
Middle English
English
fabulous
“legendary, like a fable; later, splendid or extraordinary”
Modern English
English
fabulous
“extraordinary; excellent; wonderful”
Explore more surprising origins