English word origin

Etymology of fecal

From Middle French fecal, from Latin faex, equivalent to feces + -al.

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 ↗

adj

Of or relating to feces.

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

From Middle French fecal, from Latin faex, equivalent to feces + -al.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Unspecified derivation mentionfecalfrm
Unspecified derivation mentionfaexla
Word-formation componentfecesen
Word-formation component-alen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "fecal"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French fecal"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "faex"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin faex"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "feces",
        "3": "-al"
      },
      "expansion": "feces + -al"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fecal",
      "fecal#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "faex",
      "faex#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "feces",
      "feces#English"
    ],
    [
      "-al",
      "-al#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or relating to feces."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c0e1c2a1c53cc467d96e462dcadc0eab0545570e5d7102279fe2f4cee9b2a29b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6d515b7c16ce7cd9efbb9dc219180ca4b077eb8a2501107ce18795e7f575103a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 277053
    }
  ],
  "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 fecal →

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-ZmVjYWw