*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fatty

From Middle English fatty, equivalent to fat + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian fattig (“fatty”), Dutch vettig (“fatty, greasy”), German Low German fettig (“fatty”), German fettig (“fatty”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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

Containing, composed of, or consisting of fat. · Sometimes, especially, containing excess fat. · Like fat; greasy. · Of or related to fat.

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

From Middle English fatty, equivalent to fat + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian fattig (“fatty”), Dutch vettig (“fatty, greasy”), German Low German fettig (“fatty”), German fettig (“fatty”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionfattyenm
  • Cognate mentionfattigstq · fatty
  • Cognate mentionvettignl · fatty, greasy
  • Cognate mentionfettigde · fatty

This page abbreviates 1 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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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "fatty"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fatty"
    },
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        "2": "fat",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "vettig",
        "t": "fatty, greasy"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch vettig (“fatty, greasy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "fettig",
        "t": "fatty"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German fettig (“fatty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "fettig",
        "t": "fatty"
      },
      "expansion": "German fettig (“fatty”)"
    }
  ],
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      "fatty",
      "fatty#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "fat#English"
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    ],
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      "fattig",
      "fattig#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
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      "vettig",
      "vettig#Dutch"
    ],
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      "fettig",
      "fettig#Low_German"
    ],
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      "fettig",
      "fettig#German"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Containing, composed of, or consisting of fat.",
        "Sometimes, especially, containing excess fat.",
        "Like fat; greasy.",
        "Of or related to fat."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

An obese person. · A large marijuana cigar; a blunt. · A type of game played with marbles.

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

Etymology tree English fat Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English fatty From fat + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "fat",
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      },
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    },
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        "2": ":af",
        "3": "fat",
        "4": "-y<pos:diminutive suffix><id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish fat\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish fatty\nFrom fat + -y (diminutive suffix)."
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  ],
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-j-"
    ],
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    ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "An obese person.",
        "A large marijuana cigar; a blunt.",
        "A type of game played with marbles."
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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 fatty →

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-ZmF0dHk