Fey describes something strange, unconventional, or otherworldly; it can also mean doomed or having the ability to see the future.
Strange, unconventional, otherworldly; doomed; able to see the future.
| Front | fey \ˈfā\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective 1. Strange; unconventional; otherworldly. 2. Doomed. 3. Able to see the future. ["Fey" is a word that defies its own meaning, since it has yet to even come close to the brink of death after being in our language for well over 800 years. In Old and Middle English it meant "feeble" or "sickly." Those meanings turned out to be fey themselves, but the word lived on in senses related to death, and because a wild or elated state of mind was once believed to portend death, other senses arose from these. The word "fay," meaning "fairy" or "elf" may also have had an influence on some senses of "fey." Not until the late 20th century did the word's most recent meanings, "precious" and " campy," find their way onto the pages of the dictionary. From Old English faege (fated to die). Earliest documented use: before the twelfth century.] "At times, the book The Patron Saint of Eels seems a little fey; perhaps the made-up miracle makes its moral point a little too easily." Lisa Gorton; The Patron Saint of Eels; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Apr 16, 2005. |
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