*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fete

* The noun derives from French fête. Doublet of feast, fiesta, and fest. * The verb derives from French fêter.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary 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

A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity. · A feast, celebration or carnival.

verb

To celebrate (a person or event).

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

* The noun derives from French fête. Doublet of feast, fiesta, and fest. * The verb derives from French fêter.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "fête"
      },
      "expansion": "French fête"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "feast",
        "3": "fiesta",
        "4": "fest"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of feast, fiesta, and fest"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "fêter"
      },
      "expansion": "French fêter"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fête",
      "fête#French"
    ],
    [
      "feast",
      "feast#English"
    ],
    [
      "fiesta",
      "fiesta#English"
    ],
    [
      "fest",
      "fest#English"
    ],
    [
      "fêter",
      "fêter#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.",
        "A feast, celebration or carnival."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6b26ff17df14acc49a5cf95a97cf879e02435f989221db7f2196e7bc22722631",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b8318daa6513e59e0b6a4c08ee80dff17afcdf04a04c2b082f72736234f40c5b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 229792
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To celebrate (a person or event)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "passive",
        "transitive",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "e44ee1e0f4b89900bcf0607aa38f6b17ac0258051f28a9d32a0ed4a7450c5e1c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fbcb92728b0eafc09a4d481256882d393fbec6962acdd4f2d03c44702db95c7f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 229793
    }
  ],
  "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 fete →

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-ZmV0ZQ