English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

fatesome

adj

Seeming to be controlled by fate; fateful.

fathead

noun

(informal) A stupid or foolish person.

fatheaded

adj

Stupid or foolish.

father

noun

A male parent.

fatherhood

noun

The state or experience of being a father.

fatherland

noun

One's native country, especially spoken of with strong patriotic feeling.

fatherless

adj

Without a father, whether through death, absence, or separation.

fatherly

adj

Kind, protective, and caring in the way typically associated with a good father.

fathom

noun

A unit of length equal to six feet (about 1.8 metres), traditionally used to measure the depth of water.

fathoming

noun

The act of measuring depth, or of working something out.

fathomless

adj

So deep that it cannot be measured, especially of water.

fatigue

noun

Extreme tiredness, whether physical or mental, from exertion or lack of rest.

fatigued

adj

Very tired; worn out.

fatigues

noun

Loose, practical clothing worn by soldiers for everyday duties or combat.

Fatima

name

A feminine given name of Arabic origin, borne by the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

fatless

adj

Containing no fat at all.

fatso

noun

(offensive, informal) An insulting term for someone who is overweight.

fatten

verb

To make an animal or person fatter, often by feeding them richly.

fattening

adj

Likely to cause weight gain, usually describing food high in calories.

fatty

adj

Containing a lot of fat, or greasy in texture.

fatuity

noun

A lack of good sense; foolishness.

fatuous

adj

Irritatingly stupid, vacantly silly, and pleased with one's own foolishness.

fatwa

noun

A formal legal ruling or opinion issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.

faucet

noun

(chiefly US) A fitting that controls the flow of water from a pipe; called a "tap" in British English.

faugh

intj

Used to show disgust, often at a bad smell.

Faulkner

name

A surname, originally denoting someone who worked as a falconer.

fault

noun

Responsibility for a mistake or wrongdoing.

faulter

verb

An archaic spelling of falter.

faultful

adj

Containing mistakes or flaws; not perfect.

faulting

noun

The process by which a crack forms in the earth's crust.

faultless

adj

Having no mistakes at all; perfect.

faultlessness

noun

The state of having no mistakes or flaws.

faulty

adj

Not working correctly; having a defect.

faun

noun

A mythological woodland creature with the legs and horns of a goat, known for revelry, similar to a satyr.

fauna

noun

The animals of a particular region, habitat, or time period, considered as a group.

Fauntleroy

name

A surname, best known from the children's novel character Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Faust

name

A legendary German scholar who, according to folklore, traded his soul to the Devil for knowledge and power.

faux

adj

Fake or imitation, especially of a material or style.

favaginous

adj

Shaped like a honeycomb, with many small cells.

fave

noun

(informal) A favourite thing or person.

favela

noun

A densely populated, informal urban settlement, especially in Brazil, often lacking full access to public services.

favicon

noun

The very small image a website supplies to represent itself, shown in the browser tab, next to the address, and beside the site in a list of bookmarks.

favor

noun

(US spelling; UK "favour") A kind or helpful act done for someone.

favorable

adjective

Expressing approval; positive about someone or something.

favorably

adv

(US spelling; UK "favourably") In a positive or approving way.

favored

adj

A US standard spelling of favoured.

favoring

noun

The act of preferring one thing or person over another.

favorite

adj

Liked or preferred above all others of its kind.

favoritize

verb

To treat someone as your favourite, giving them special preference over others.

Favors

noun

American spelling of the plural of favor: acts of kindness or approval given to someone.

favour

noun

British spelling of favor: a kind or helpful act, or approval and support shown toward someone.

favourable

adj

Showing approval, support, or goodwill.

favoured

adj

Given special treatment or preference over others.

favourite

adj

Liked more than any other of its kind.

favouritism

noun

Unfair favouring of one person or group over another.

favoursome

adj

Showing favour or bias, or good enough to be acceptable.

faw

prep

A pronunciation spelling of for, chiefly used to represent the accent of slaves in the United States.

Fawcett

name

An English surname, notably borne by American actress Farrah Fawcett.

Fawkes

name

An English surname, most famously borne by Guy Fawkes, the conspirator behind the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.

Fawlty

name

A surname invented for the title character of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, a play on the word "faulty."

fawn

noun

A young deer, usually under a year old.

fawning

adj

Excessively flattering or servile in trying to win approval.

fax

noun

A document sent electronically over a phone line to be printed at the other end, or the machine that sends and receives such documents.

faxed

verb

Past tense of fax: sent a document electronically over a phone line.

faxing

noun

The act of sending a document by fax machine.

fay

noun

A fairy or fairy-like being (a somewhat old-fashioned literary word).

Faye

name

A feminine given name of French origin, meaning "fairy" or possibly derived from "faith."

Fayed

name

An Arabic surname, notably borne by the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed.

faze

verb

To disturb, unsettle, or worry someone (usually used in the negative, "not fazed").

Fazio

name

An Italian surname, derived from a medieval given name.

FBI

noun

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States' main domestic intelligence and federal law enforcement agency.

FBS

noun

In American college sports, the top tier of NCAA Division I football, made up of the largest programmes, whose season ends in bowl games and a national play-off.

FDA

noun

The United States Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency responsible for approving and regulating medicines, medical devices, food, cosmetics and tobacco products.

Fe

noun

A librarians' size code for a book roughly 7.5 to 10 cm tall — one forty-eighth of a standard printing sheet.

feague

verb

To make a horse seem livelier by putting something irritating, such as raw ginger, into its rear end.

fealty

noun

Loyalty and formal obedience owed by a vassal to a feudal lord; more broadly, sworn faithfulness or allegiance.

fear

noun

A strong, unpleasant feeling caused by the sense of danger or threat.

feared

adj

Regarded with fear or dread by others.

fearful

adj

Feeling afraid or anxious.

fearfully

adv

In a way that shows fear.

fearfulness

noun

A feeling or state of being afraid.

fearing

verb

Present participle of fear: feeling afraid of or worried about something.

fearless

adj

Showing no fear; brave.

fearlessly

adv

In a brave manner, without showing fear.

fearlessness

noun

A feeling or state of having no fear at all.

Fears

noun

Plural of fear: feelings of being afraid, or things that worry someone.

fearsome

adj

Frightening, especially in appearance or reputation.

feasance

noun

(law) The carrying out of an action, especially one that a person is required to do.

feasibility

noun

The degree to which something can actually be done with the money, time, people and technology available.

feasible

adj

Able to be done or carried out in practice.

feast

noun

A large, often celebratory meal.

feastful

adj

Cheerful and rich, like the food and mood of a big celebration.

feasting

noun

The act of eating a large, celebratory meal.

feastly

adj

Connected with or typical of a large celebratory meal.

feastware

noun

The cutlery, cups and plates that people use to eat and drink a meal.

feat

noun

An impressive or difficult achievement.

feather

noun

One of the light, branching structures covering a bird's body, used for flight and insulation.

featherbed

noun

A soft mattress filled with feathers.

feathered

adj

Covered in feathers.

Featherstone

name

An English surname and place name, likely referring to a rock resembling a feather.

feathery

adj

Looking or feeling like feathers.

feature

noun

A distinctive or noticeable part or quality of something.

featured

adj

Given special or prominent placement or treatment.

featuring

noun

A guest appearance or performance by one artist on another artist's track.

feb

name

A form of Feb (“February”) written with different letter casing.

febrile

adj

Having a fever, or an unusually high body temperature.

February

noun

The second month of the year, coming between January and March, and the shortest month, with an extra day added in leap years.

februate

verb

To make something pure again, or to give it new life and freshness.

februation

noun

The act of purifying, rejuvenating or renewing something, especially as part of a rite or ceremony.

fecal

adj

Relating to feces or bodily waste.

feceate

verb

(formal) To pass solid waste from the body.

feces

noun

Solid bodily waste passed out of the digestive system.

feck

noun

(Scots) Effectiveness, value, or vigor.

feckless

adj

Lacking direction, competence, or effectiveness; irresponsible and ineffective.

fecklessness

noun

The quality of being careless and lacking any sense of responsibility.

feckly

adv

To some extent, but not completely.

feculence

noun

The condition of being dirty or full of waste matter.

fecund

adj

Very fertile, able to produce young easily.

fecundate

verb

To make something able to produce young or fruit.

fecundation

noun

The process by which fertilisation creates a new living thing.

fecundity

noun

The capacity to produce young.

fed

noun

A federal law-enforcement agent, especially in the US.

fed up

adjective

Annoyed, bored or unhappy about a situation that has gone on too long.

feddan

noun

A unit of land area used in the Middle East, made up of 24 kirats, roughly equal to 4200.8 square metres.

Fede

name

A masculine given name, commonly used in Italian and Spanish as a short form of Federico or Federica.

federal

adj

Relating to a system where a central government shares power with state or regional governments.

federalism

noun

A system of government in which power is shared between one central authority and a set of regional governments, each with its own areas of control that the other cannot simply override.

federated

adj

Joined together into a single group under one central authority.

federation

noun

A group of states, organizations, or groups joined together under one central governing body while keeping some independence.

Federico

name

A masculine given name, the Italian and Spanish form of Frederick, meaning "peaceful ruler."

FedEx

name

FedEx, a major courier and package delivery company.

fedi

name

Alternative letter-case form of Fedi.

Fedor

name

A masculine given name, the Russian form of Theodore, meaning "gift of God."

fedora

noun

A soft felt hat with a creased crown and a brim that can be turned up or down.

feds

noun

(informal) The federal government, especially its police and law enforcement officers.

Fedya

name

A Russian diminutive form of the given name Fedor (Theodore).

fee

noun

A charge or payment required for a service, privilege, or right.

feeble

adj

Physically weak, lacking strength.

feebleness

noun

The condition of being feeble; weakness or infirmity.

feed

verb

To give food to a person or animal.

feedback

noun

Comments or reactions about how well something worked, used to guide improvement.

feeder

noun

A person who feeds someone else.

feeding

noun

The act of giving food, or an instance of a baby or animal being fed.

feel

verb

To become aware of something through the sense of touch.

feelefold

adj

(archaic) Made up of many different kinds or forms.

feeler

noun

A person or thing that feels.

feeling

noun

An emotion or emotional state.

feels

noun

(informal, plural) Strong or tender emotions.

Feeney

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of a Gaelic name meaning "descendant of the raven."

Feeny

name

A variant spelling of the Irish surname Feeney.