fay

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“
"Are you coming to the blue moon?" called the fay, and his voice whistled and shrewed to them like the voice of a wind.

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Definitions (19)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. transitive and intransitive verb To join or fit closely or tightly.
  2. noun A fairy or an elf.
  3. noun Archaic Faith: "Sirrah, by my fay, it waxes late” (Shakespeare).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (11)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (4)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (45)

  • The Saxons wiped out the fay, the elven, and you turned them into a mere fairy tale. —  The Nightmare People
  • I seem to remember Ess fay, and never used till then. —  Death At The Bar - Ngaio Marsh - Alleyn 09: 1940
  • He was about the same size as the fay, and his ears were pointed, but a wary intelligence showed in his face. —  Alien Plot by Piers Anthony
  • A lot of the photos were inspired by fay, her amazing agility her exquisite beauty, and how the light reflected off her fur. —  WFMZ-TV 69NEWS: Top Stories
  • Mexican President Felipe Calderon (fay-LEE'-pay kahl-duh-ROHN ') has pledged an immediate military response. —  WBAY Action 2 News
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This word has been looked up 61 times.

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Etymologies (6)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. Middle English feien, from Old English fēgan; see pag- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Middle English faie, enchanted person or place, from Old French fae; see fairy.
  3. Middle English fai, from Anglo-Norman fei, fed; see faith.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. Early modern English also faye, faie; from Middle English feyen, feien, fyen, vien, feʒen, join, add, unite, intransitive fit, suit, agree, from Anglo-Saxon fegan, also ge-fēgan, join, unite, bind, fix, = Old Saxon fōgian = OFries. fōga = Dutch voegen = Old High German fuogen, Middle High German vuegen, German fügen = Swedish foga = Danish föie, join, unite (= Gothic (Moesogothic) *fōgjan, not recorded); a factitive verb, from √*fag in Gothic (Moesogothic) fagrs, fit, adapted, suitable, = Anglo-Saxon fæger, English fair, beautiful: see fair and fang. The word fadge appears to be connected with fay, but its origin is not clear: see fudge.
  2. from Middle English fay, from Old French fee, feie, foe (later D. fee = Middle High German fei, feie, German fee = Danish Swedish fe), French fée = Provencal fada = Spanish hada = Portuguese fada = Italian fata, a fay, fairy, from Latin fata, feminine singular, a fairy, from fatum, fate, plural fata, the Fates: see fate. Hence fairy, q. v.
  3. from Middle English fay, fey, fei, faith, from Old French fei, orig. feid, whence the English form feith, faith: see faith.
 

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