"F" Word Origins

fallback

Origin

From the phrasal verb fall back, meaning to retreat to a secondary position.

fallen

Origin

The past participle of fall, formed with the ending -en.

fallible

Origin

From Middle English fallible, from Medieval Latin fallibilis (“liable to err, also deceitful”), from Latin fallere (“to deceive”).

falloff

Origin

Deverbal from fall off.

Fallon

Irish

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fallamhain.

Fallopian

Italian · 1500

Named after the 16th-century Italian anatomist Gabriele Falloppio, who is credited with describing these tubes.

fallout

Origin

From the phrasal verb fall out, combined into a single noun.

fallow

Old English

From Old English fealh ("fallow land"), related to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "arable land."

Fallujah

Arabic

From Arabic فَلُّوجَة (fallūja).

Falmouth

Origin

For the Cornish town (sense 1), from Fal + mouth, at the mouth of the River Fal.

false

Latin

From Old English fals, from Latin falsus ("deceived, counterfeit"), the past participle of fallere ("to deceive").

falsedom

Origin

From Middle English falsedom, falsdom, equivalent to false + -dom.

falseheart

Origin

From false + heart.

falsehood

Middle English

From Middle English falshede, formed from false plus the suffix -hood.

falsely

Middle English

From Middle English falsly, falsliche, equivalent to false + -ly.

falsetto

Italian

Borrowed from Italian falsetto, a diminutive of falso ("false"), describing the artificial, "false" quality of the voice.

falsification

Origin

From false + -ification.

falsify

Late Latin

From Late Latin falsificare ("to make false"), from falsus ("false").

falsity

Origin

Corresponding to false + -ity. From Middle French fausseté, Old French falseté, from Late Latin falsitas, from Latin falsus.

Falstaff

Origin

From Sir John Falstaff, a comic character created by William Shakespeare who appears in the Henry IV plays and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

falter

Middle English

From Middle English falteren, of uncertain origin, possibly related to a Norse word meaning "to stagger" or "hesitate."

faltering

Origin

From falter plus the suffix -ing.

fam

Origin

Abbreviations * (family, term of endearment): Clipping of family * (familiarization): Clipping of familiarization

fame

Latin

From Old French fame, from Latin fama ("talk, rumor, reputation").

famed

Origin

From fame plus the ending -ed.

familia

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin familia, the same root that gave English "family."

familial

Latin

From French familial, ultimately from Latin familia ("household, family") — the same root that gives us "family" itself.

familiar

Latin

From Latin familiaris, "of the household" — originally describing someone as close as family.

familiarise

Origin

From familiar + -ise.

familiarity

Latin

From Latin familiaritas, built from familiaris ("familiar") — see familiar.

familiarize

Origin

From familiar + the verb-forming suffix -ize.

familiarly

Origin

From Middle English familierly, equivalent to familiar + -ly.

family

Latin

From Latin familia, originally meaning a household including its servants, from famulus, "servant."

famine

Latin

From Old French famine, ultimately related to Latin fames, "hunger."

famished

Origin

Inflected forms.

famishment

Origin

From famish + -ment.

famous

Latin

From Latin famosus, from fama, "fame, reputation" — the same root as "fame."

famously

Origin

From famous + the adverb suffix -ly.

fan

Latin

From Old English fann, "a winnowing fan," from Latin vannus, a tool used to toss grain into the air to separate it from chaff.

fanatic

Latin

From Latin fanaticus, "inspired by a god, frenzied," originally describing worshippers at a temple (fanum).

fanaticism

Origin

From fanatic + -ism, following the same pattern as "heroism" or "criticism."

fancied

Origin

From fancy + -ed.

fancier

Origin

From fancy + the agent suffix -er.

fanciful

Origin

From fancy + -ful.

fancy

Ancient Greek

A shortened form of "fantasy," which traces back through Old French and Latin to Ancient Greek phantasia, "imagination."

fancywork

Origin

From fancy + work.

fandangle

Origin

Perhaps an alteration of fandango, equivalent to fandango + -le (diminutive suffix); or influenced by dangle. Alternatively, Geoffrey Dearson, in The Devonshire Dialect Dictionary (2022), suggests a blend of fandango + bangle.

fandango

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish fandango; its ultimate origin is unclear, though some link it to West African or Portuguese roots.