Fey
/feɪ/noun
Eerily otherworldly, fated to die, or unnaturally whimsical.
Did you know?In Middle English, *fey* could mean a person believed to be under a death sentence or possessed by uncanny second sight, which is why it still feels half-cursed today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to set, place, establish”
Latin
Latin
fātum
“that which has been spoken; destiny, fate”
Old French
Old French
fae / faithe
“fate, destiny; fairy being (in related forms)”
Middle English
English
fey
“fated, doomed to die; in possession of second sight or uncanny sensitivity”
Modern English
English
fey
“otherworldly, strange, whimsical, or eerily delicate”