English word origin

Etymology of fave

From favorite or favourite, by shortening.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

Favorite (US) or favourite (UK)

verb

Favorite (US) or favourite (UK)

adj

Favorite (US) or favourite (UK).

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

From favorite or favourite, by shortening.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "favorite",
      "favorite#English"
    ],
    [
      "favourite",
      "favourite#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Favorite (US) or favourite (UK)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "8d0fde19c2d979f1ec18e7fcce3ddc205cd671cf7b15e2f344e937f289c1debb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 273795
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Favorite (US) or favourite (UK)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "35d66c7ddd9b0c07f0024be6122377172ba56211dc52bbb3786a494d6cd2ce42",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cb34eca41e7847f5e68e6e44473b587648d1c6a8038e46003f28102912f24bd3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 273796
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Favorite (US) or favourite (UK)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "360452eeb468389b3c78db2971017231b750e812441ab416eedf36cabc200b9e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "01f79d05421a5e29f53d0544fd662d848aee6743a8b550329f8aadef24055678",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 273794
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 fave →

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-ZmF2ZQ