Mab
/mæb/noun
A fairy queen, especially the mischievous supernatural figure known as Queen Mab.
Did you know?The name’s origin is uncertain, but Shakespeare’s Queen Mab became one of English literature’s most influential images of a fairy queen who governs dreams and exposes hidden desire.
Etymological Timeline
Early Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*makʷos
“A reconstructed Celtic word meaning “son,” possibly connected with later forms resembling mab and mac; this proposed link to Mab is uncertain.”
Medieval Welsh
Welsh
mab
““Son” or “boy”; a real Celtic word sometimes proposed as a source for the fairy name, though the connection is not proven.”
16th Century
English
Mab
“A fairy or supernatural female figure; the name appears in English literary and folkloric contexts.”
1595–1596
English
Queen Mab
“The fairy queen in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, described as a tiny spirit who visits sleepers and shapes their dreams.”
Modern English
English
Mab
“A literary or folkloric fairy queen, especially Shakespeare’s Queen Mab; also used as a proper name for fictional and astronomical objects.”