*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fat

From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin. · Thick; large. · Bulbous; rotund. · Bountiful.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*peyH-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionfatenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfǣttang · fatted, fat
  • Inherited-form mention*faitidgmw-pro · fatted

This page abbreviates 12 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/faitid"
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/faitijan"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/fait"
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        "Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.",
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        "Bountiful."
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Source etymology 2 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A specialized animal tissue with high lipid content, used for long-term storage of energy: fat tissue. · Such tissue as food: the fatty portion of (or trimmings from) meat cuts. · A lipid that is solid at room temperature, which fat tissue contains and which is also found in the blood circulation; sometimes, a refined substance chemically resembling such naturally occurring lipids. · That part of an organization deemed wasteful.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English fat, fatt, fatte, from the adjective above, and possibly from Old English fǣt (“fat”, recorded once), from Proto-West Germanic *fait, from Proto-Germanic *faitą, *faitaz (“fat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfatenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfǣtang · fat
  • Inherited-form mention*faitgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*faitągem-pro

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To make fat; to fatten. · To become fat; to fatten. · To hit (a golf ball) with a fat shot.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English fat, fatt, fatte, from the adjective above, and possibly from Old English fǣt (“fat”, recorded once), from Proto-West Germanic *fait, from Proto-Germanic *faitą, *faitaz (“fat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfatenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfǣtang · fat
  • Inherited-form mention*faitgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*faitągem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A large tub or vessel for water, wine, or other liquids; a cistern. · A dry measure, generally equal to nine bushels.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English fat, from Old English fæt (“vat, vessel, jar, cup, casket, division”), from Proto-Germanic *fatą (“vessel”), from Proto-Indo-European *pod- (“vessel”). Cognate with Dutch vat (“barrel, vessel”), German Fass (“barrel, drum”), Swedish fat (“barrel, dish, cask”). See vat.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfatenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfætang · vat, vessel, jar, cup, casket, division
  • Inherited-form mention*fatągem-pro · vessel
  • Derivation mention*pod-ine-pro · vessel
  • Cognate mentionvatnl · barrel, vessel
  • Cognate mentionFassde · barrel, drum
  • Cognate mentionfatsv · barrel, dish, cask
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A fop or dandy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French fat (“conceited person”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionfatfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for fat →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZmF0