English word origin

Etymology of fayre

From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer.

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

Fair, beautiful.

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

From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionfayrenm
Inherited-form mentionfæġerang

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fayr"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fayr"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fæġer"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fæġer"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fayr",
      "fayr#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "feir",
      "feir#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fager",
      "fager#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fæġer",
      "fæger#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Fair, beautiful."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "f2b1c7e9433f9d4a49127a06e030c86497d5cd3198ec95779b4b0fb56141a4b0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "aa74ef7cf9fe704a409bc8234a21329cc0054975e0795d622d9e06e729e010ec",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 505943
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A fair, a market. · Fare.

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

From Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionfoirefro
Derivation mentionfēriaela

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "foire"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French foire"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fēriae"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fēriae"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "foire",
      "foire#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "fēriae",
      "feriae#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A fair, a market.",
        "Fare."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "862e5ff478c18b5d3601ff8535820b451a9779bb7d56ec9c8a2d8d8e2864e3f4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cc856fd2db3fbd2705f4e2a49f38894153cee505988f87c1811ec78bab9f00d1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 505944
    }
  ],
  "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 fayre →

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-ZmF5cmU