Word of the Day - 02/27/26
fey
/feɪ/(adj.): suggestive of an elf in strangeness and otherworldliness
The forest seemed strangely alive, and the fey glow of the moonlight made the landscape feel enchanted and unreal.
(adj.): unusual or whimsical behavior
Her fey laughter bubbled up at the most unexpected moments, leaving everyone around her both charmed and puzzled.
(adj.): doomed or fated to die
‘Greatly changed he seemed to me since I saw him first in the king’s house,’ said Éowyn: ‘grimmer, older. Fey I thought him, and like one whom the Dead call.’
Word Origin
The word 'fey' originates from Middle English 'fey' or 'fæi', meaning 'fated to die' or 'doomed'. This, in turn, developed from Old English 'fæge', which carried the meanings 'doomed', 'on the verge of death', or 'cowardly'. The ultimate root is the Proto-Germanic word '*faigjaz'. The modern sense of 'otherworldly', 'ethereal', or 'elfin' is a later semantic development, likely influenced by the word 'fairy', although 'fey' and 'fairy' do not share a direct etymological root.