fey
[ fey ]
/ feɪ /
adjective
British Dialect. doomed; fated to die.
Chiefly Scot. appearing to be under a spell; marked by an apprehension of death, calamity, or evil.
supernatural; unreal; enchanted: elves, fairies, and other fey creatures.
being in unnaturally high spirits, as were formerly thought to precede death.
whimsical; strange; otherworldly: a strange child with a mysterious smile and a fey manner.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of fey
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 Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fey
British Dictionary definitions for fey
fey
/ (feɪ) /
adjective
interested in or believing in the supernatural
attuned to the supernatural; clairvoyant; visionary
mainly Scot fated to die; doomed
mainly Scot in a state of high spirits or unusual excitement, formerly believed to presage death
Derived Formsfeyness, noun
Word Origin for fey
Old English fæge marked out for death; related to Old Norse feigr doomed, Old High German feigi
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for fey
fey
"of excitement that presages death," from Old English fæge "doomed to die, fated, destines," also "timid, feeble;" and/or from Old Norse feigr, both from Proto-Germanic *faigjo- (cf. Old Saxon fegi, Old Frisian fai, Middle Dutch vege, Middle High German veige "doomed," also "timid," German feige "cowardly"), from PIE *peig- "evil-minded, hostile" (see foe). 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