"F" Word Origins

ferine

Origin

From Latin ferīnus, from fera (“wild animal”). The zoological sense was coined by William Whewell in 1840.

ferment

Latin

From Latin fermentum, "substance that causes fermenting," related to fervere, "to boil" — the same root behind fervent.

fermentation

Latin

From Latin fermentatio, built on fermentum, "leaven" — the substance that makes dough or drink "work."

fern

Old English

From Old English fearn, tracing back to a very old Indo-European word for "feather" or "leaf" — a nod to the plant's feathery fronds.

Fernandez

Spanish

Anglicization of Spanish Fernández.

Fernando

Spanish

From Spanish Fernando, a contraction of Ferdinando, equivalent to English Ferdinand. From Proto-Germanic *fardiz (“journey”) or *friþuz (“peace”) + *nanþaz (“daring”) (from the root of *ninþaną (“to be daring”)).

ferocious

Latin

From Latin ferox, "wild, bold, fierce," plus the adjective ending -ous.

ferocity

Latin

From Latin ferocitas, from ferox ("fierce"), ultimately from ferus, "wild, savage."

Ferrara

Italian

Etymology tree Italian Ferrarabor. English Ferrara Borrowed from Italian Ferrara.

Ferrari

Italian

Etymology tree Italian Ferraribor. English Ferrari Borrowed from Italian Ferrari.

Ferraris

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Ferraris.

Ferrer

Latin

From Catalan/Spanish "ferrer," meaning "blacksmith," from Latin "ferrum" (iron).

ferret

Vulgar Latin

From Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin furittum, "little thief" — a nod to the animal's sly, thieving reputation.

ferric

Origin

From Latin ferricus, from ferrum (“iron”).

Ferris

Norman

English surname, from Norman Ferrers, from the toponymic Ferrières, from French fer (“iron”).

ferritic

Origin

From ferrite + -ic.

ferrous

Latin

From Latin ferrum, "iron."

ferry

Old English

The verb comes from Old English ferian, "to carry," related to English "fare" (as in "thoroughfare"); the noun sense of a water crossing developed under the influence of Old Norse ferja.

ferryboat

Origin

From ferry + boat.

ferryman

Origin

From ferry + man.

fertile

Latin

From Latin fertilis, "fruitful," from ferre, "to bear or carry."

fertileness

Origin

From fertile + -ness.

fertilise

Origin

From fertile + -ise.

fertility

Latin

From Latin fertilitas, from fertilis, "fruitful."

fertilization

French

From French fertilisation, built on fertile + the ending -ization.

fertilize

French

From French fertiliser, from fertile.

fertilizer

Origin

From fertilize + the agent-noun ending -er.

fervent

Latin

From Latin fervens, "burning, glowing, zealous," the present participle of fervere, "to boil or be hot" — the same root as fervor and ferment.

fervently

Origin

From fervent + -ly.

fervidness

Origin

From fervid + -ness.

fervor

Latin

From Latin fervor, "boiling heat, passion," from fervere, "to boil, be hot."

fervour

Origin

By surface analysis, Latin ferv- + -our (“abstract noun suffix”).

fess

Latin

The verb is simply a shortened form of "confess." The heraldry sense comes separately from Old French fesse, ultimately from Latin fascia, "band" or "sash."

fest

Latin

Borrowed from German Fest, "feast, festival," ultimately from Latin festum — the same root as "feast" and "festival."

festal

Origin

From Middle French festal, from Latin festum (“feast”).

fester

Latin

From Old French festre, from Latin fistula, "pipe, ulcer" — a doublet of the medical word fistula.

festival

Latin

From Old French festival, "festive," from Latin festivus, ultimately from festum, "feast."

festivalgoer

Origin

From festival + goer.

festive

Latin

From Latin festivus, "joyous, pertaining to a feast."

festivity

Origin

Inherited from Middle English festivite, from Middle French festivité, from Latin festīvitas, equivalent to festive + -ity.

fet

Old English

From Old English fetian, "to bring or fetch," the same root that eventually gave modern English "fetch."

feta

Italian

From Greek féta, itself borrowed from Italian fetta, meaning "slice" — a nod to how the cheese is cut into slabs.

fetal

Origin

From fetus plus the adjective ending -al.

fetch

Old English

From Old English feċċan/fetian, meaning to bring near or get, tracing back to a Germanic root shared with Dutch vatten and German fassen ("to grasp").

fetching

Origin

From fetch plus -ing, in the sense of something that "draws" the eye.

fete

French

From French fête ("feast, celebration"); a doublet of feast and fiesta.

feticide

Origin

From fetus + -cide or fetus + -icide, from Middle French -cide, from Latin -cīda (“cutter, killer”) and its derivation -cīdium (“killing”), from -cīd (combining form of caedō (“cut, kill”)) + -a (“-er”, forming agent nouns).

fetish

Latin

From French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ("charm, sorcery"), ultimately from Latin factīcius ("artificial") — the same root as factitious.