Fay
/feɪ/noun
A fairy or enchanted being; also, in older usage, to enchant or bewitch.
Did you know?In Middle English, related forms of fay were used for fairy beings, and the word sits inside the same ancient linguistic world that later gave English its “fairy” lore and enchantment vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
OF
fae
“fairy; enchantress”
Middle English
ME
faie
“a fairy or supernatural being”
Middle English
ME
fay
“fairy; enchantment; to enchant”
Early Modern English
English
fay
“a fairy, often with magical or supernatural associations”
Modern English
English
fay
“a fairy or enchanted being; rare literary term”