fe

See also: Appendix:Variations of "fe"

Languages (28)

English

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Akan • Albanian • Catalan • Cornish • Danish • Fala • Galician • Gwahatike • Ido • Japanese • Ladino • Ma'di • Mandarin • Middle English • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Occitan • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old Occitan • Old Spanish • Polish • Romanian • Spanish • Swedish • Turkish • Turkmen • Welsh

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Page categories

English

Etymology 1

Noun

fe

1. Alternative form of pe (“Semitic letter”).

Etymology 2

Adverb

fe (not comparable)

1. Alternative form of f.e.

Akan

Verb

fe (transitive past fee, intransitive past feeɛ, future bɛfe, progressive refe, perfect afe) (Twi)

1. to vomit, disgorge
2. to spew

   Synonym: fe gu

3. to suck

   Synonyms: fefe, twe

Albanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Vulgar Latin *fēdes, from Latin fidēs. The Vulgar Latin form is alternatively reconstructed as Vulgar Latin *fe.des.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛ/

Noun

fe f (plural fe, definite feja, definite plural fetë)

1. religion

Declension

Declension of fe

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	fe	feja	fe	fetë
accusative		fenë
dative	feje	fesë	feve	feve
ablative			fesh

Derived terms

• fetar m, fetare f
• pafe
• pafeja

Further reading

• “fe”, in FMGJSH: Fjalor i madh i gjuhës shqipe (in Albanian), 2026

Catalan

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin fidem, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-. First attested in the 12th century. Compare Occitan fe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈfe̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈfə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈfɛ]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈfe]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

fe f (plural fes)

1. faith

Related terms

• fidel

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin fēnum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈfe̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈfə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈfɛ]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈfe]

Noun

fe m (plural fes)

1. (archaic or dialectal) hay

   Synonym: fenc

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• fé (pre-2016)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈfe̞]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈfe]

Verb

fe

1. (Balearic) inflection of fer:
   1. third-person singular preterite indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “fe”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Cornish

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle English fe (“livestock, cattle”), from Old English feoh (“cattle, property, wealth, money, payment, tribute, fee”) with contamination from Old French fieu, fief, both from Proto-Germanic *fehu (“cattle, sheep, livestock, owndom”), from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“livestock”).

Pronunciation

• (Revived Middle Cornish) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛː/

Noun

fe m (plural feow)

1. fee
2. feudal estate, fief

Derived terms

• feow dyskans (“tuition fees”)
• feow-parkya (“parking fees”)

References

• “fe” in Cornish Dictionary / Gerlyver Kernewek, Akademi Kernewek.

Danish

Etymology

From French fée (“fairy”), from Late Latin fāta, from Latin fātum (“destiny, fate”).

Noun

fe c (singular definite feen, plural indefinite feer)

1. fairy, fay (mythical being (of female gender))

Inflection

Declension of fe

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	fe	feen	feer	feerne
genitive	fes	feens	feers	feernes

See also

• alf c

Fala

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfe/
• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: fe

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Latin fidem

Old Galician-Portuguese fe

Fala fe

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese fe, from Latin fidem. Compare Galician fe and Portuguese fé.

Noun

fe f (plural fes)

1. faith

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Latin fel n

Vulgar Latin *felem

Old Galician-Portuguese fel

Fala fe

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese fel, from Vulgar Latin *felem.

Alternative forms

• fel (Mañegu, Valverdeñu)

Noun

fe f (uncountable)

1. (Lagarteiru) bile

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021), Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web), 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN, page 142

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin fidem

Old Galician-Portuguese fe

Galician fe

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese fe, from Latin fidem. Compare Fala fe and Portuguese fé.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fɛ]

Noun

fe f (uncountable)

1. faith
2. confidence, belief

Further reading

• “fe”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Gwahatike

Noun

fe

1. water

Further reading

• John Carter, Katie Carter, John Grummitt, Bonnie MacKenzie, Janell Masters, A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Mur Village Vernaculars (2012)

Ido

Etymology

From f +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fe/, /fɛ/

Noun

fe (plural fe-i)

1. The name of the Latin script letter F/f.

See also

• Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze ^[edit]

Japanese

Romanization

fe

1. The katakana syllable フェ (fe) in Hepburn romanization.

Ladino

Etymology 1

Noun

fe f (Hebrew spelling פ׳י)

1. alternative form of fey
   • 2005, Aki Yerushalayim‎^[1], volumes 26–28, page 9:

     La kreensia en la yegada del Mashiah, punto sentral en la fe de los mekubalim, se ilustra en la sigiente leyenda sovre Rabi Yitshak Luria: […]

     The trust in the Messiah's arrival, [a] central point in the cabalists' faith, is illustrated in the following legend of Rabi Yitshak Luria…

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

fe

1. (Haketia) alternative form of fue

Ma'di

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fè]
• Hyphenation: fe

Verb

fẹ̃

1. (intransitive) to run

Conjugation

Conjugation of -fẹ̃- (intransitive)
		singular			plural			indefinite
		I	II	III	I	II	III
past indicative	long	má fẹ̃	nyí fẹ̃	fẹ̃	ãmã fẹ̃	ãnyĩ fẹ̃	fẹ̃ kí	ọ́fẹ̃
	short	áfẹ̃	ị́fẹ̃	ọfẹ̃	ãfẹ̃	ị̃fẹ̃	ọfẹ̃ kí
nonpast indicative	L.	má fẹ̃1)	nyí fẹ̃1)	kọ́fẹ̃1)	ãmá fẹ̃1)	ãnyí fẹ̃1)	kọ́fẹ̃1) kí	á'di fẹ̃1)
	B.	má fẹ́	nyí fẹ́	kụ́fẹ́	ãmã fẹ́	ãnyĩ fẹ́	kụ́fẹ́ kí	á fẹ́
imperative	L.	mã fẹ̃	nyĩ fẹ̃	kọ̃fẹ̃	ãmã fẹ̃	ãnyĩ fẹ̃	kọ̃fẹ̃ kí	ọ́fẹ̃1)
	B.	ãmá fẹ̃	ãnyí fẹ̃	kụ̃fẹ̃			kụ̃fẹ̃ kí	á ̣fẹ̃1)
		simple subordinate	objective subordinate	subjective subordinate I		subjective subordinate II		indirect subordinate
				singular	plural	singular	plural
		fẹ̃ka	fẹ̃lẹ́	fẹ̃rẹ	fẹ̃'bá	fẹ̃'dị	fẹ̃ka	fẹ̃jọ́
1) The root is preceded by a low floating tone, which is realised on the final vowel of the preceding syllable, or as a contour tone on the first vowel of the root.

References

• Mairi Blackings; Nigel Fabb (2003), A Grammar of Ma'di, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 36

Mandarin

Romanization

fe

1. nonstandard spelling of fē

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English feoh.

Noun

fe

1. livestock, cattle
   • a. 1500, Robert Henryson, Robin and Makyne:

     Robin sat on gude green hill,
     Kepand a flock of fe

     Robin sat on a good green hill,
     keeping a flock of cattle.

References

• “fe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [feː]

Etymology 1

From French fée (“fairy”), from Late Latin fāta, from Latin fātum (“destiny, fate”).

Noun

fe m (definite singular feen, indefinite plural feer, definite plural feene)

1. a fairy (mythical being)

Derived terms

• tannfe

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fé, from Proto-Germanic *fehu.

Noun

fe n (definite singular feet, indefinite plural fe, definite plural fea or feene)

1. cattle, livestock
2. fool, blockhead

Derived terms

• fjærfe
• storfe

References

• “fe” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fé, from Proto-Germanic *fehu, from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu. Cognates include English fee.

Noun

fe n (definite singular feet, indefinite plural fe, definite plural fea)

1. (uncountable) livestock, cattle
2. (countable) farm animal
3. a blockhead, fool
4. (collective, archaic) riches, wealth, property

Derived terms

• fjørfe
• moskusfe
• storfe

Etymology 2

From French fée (“fairy”), from Late Latin fāta, from Latin fātum (“destiny, fate”).

Noun

fe f (definite singular fea, indefinite plural feer, definite plural feene)

1. a fairy (mythical being)

Derived terms

• tannfe

References

• “fe” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan fe, from Old Occitan fidem, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

fe f (plural fes)

1. faith

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin fidem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛ/

Noun

fe f (plural fes)

1. faith
2. belief

Descendants

• Fala: fe
• Galician: fe
• Portuguese: fé

Further reading

• Universo Cantigas - "fe"

Old Occitan

Alternative forms

• fei

Etymology

From Latin fidem.

Noun

fe f (oblique plural fes, nominative singular fe, nominative plural fes)

1. faith

Descendants

• Occitan: fe

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “fides”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 3: D–F, page 503

Old Spanish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin fidēs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to command, to persuade, to trust”).

Noun

fe f

1. (religion) faith
2. confidence; trust (faith)

Alternative forms

• fee

Descendants

• Ladino: fe, fey, פ׳יי, פ׳י
• Spanish: fe

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic.

Interjection

fe

1. look!

Descendants

• Spanish: he

References

• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “fe”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume I, Chapel Hill, page 253

Polish

Etymology

Natural expression. First attested in 1624–1639.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: fe

Interjection

fe

1. (colloquial) yuck! ick! expressing disgust

   Synonyms: fu, fuj, pfu, pfuj

2. (colloquial) no! bad! reprimand of behavior

   Synonym: fuj

Adjective

fe (comparative bardziej fe, superlative najbardziej fe, no derived adverb)

1. (childish) icky, yucky

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:zły

Related terms

interjection

• afe

Further reading

• “fe”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “fe”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “fe”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “fe”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “fe”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 727

Romanian

Interjection

fe

1. obsolete form of fă

References

• fe in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

Spanish

Alternative forms

• fé (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish fe, fee, from Latin fidēs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to command, to persuade, to trust”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfe/ [ˈfe]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: fe

Noun

fe f (uncountable)

1. faith

Derived terms

• a fe
• a fe mía, mía fe, por mi fe
• a la buena fe
• a la fe
• artículo de fe
• auto de fe
• buena fe
• dar fe
• de buena fe
• dogma de fe
• en fe
• fe católica
• fe de errata
• mala fe
• por mi fe
• prestar fe
• promotor de la fe
• salto de fe

Related terms

• fiar
• fiel

Verb

fe

1. inflection of far:
   1. first-person singular preterite indicative
   2. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   3. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “fe”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 24th edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 30 October 2026

Swedish

Alternative forms

• fé (not listed in SAOL)

Etymology

First used in 1746, from French fée, based on vulgar Latin fata (“goddess of fate”)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eː

Noun

fe c

1. fairy (mythological being)

Usage notes

• The definite form feen is the only one in SAOL 6, an alternative one in SAOL 8 and not listed in SAOL 13.

Declension

Declension of fe

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	fe	fes
	definite	fen	fens
plural	indefinite	feer	feers
	definite	feerna	feernas

Related terms

• fedrottning
• felik
• fesaga
• feslott
• fevärld

References

• fé in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
• Fe in Svenska Akademiens ordlista öfver svenska språket (6th ed., 1889)
• fe in Svenska Akademiens ordlista över svenska språket (8th ed., 1923)

Turkish

Etymology 1

Noun

fe (definite accusative feyi, plural feler)

1. The name of the Latin script letter F/f.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze

Etymology 2

Noun

fe

1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ف

Turkmen

Noun

fe (definite accusative feni, plural feler)

1. The name of the Latin script letter F/f.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) harp; a, be, çe, de, e, ä, ef, ge, ha, i, je, že, ke, el, em, en, eň, o, ö, pe, re, se, şa, te, u, ü, we, y, ýy, ze

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /veː/
• Rhymes: -eː

Pronoun

fe

1. he, him

Usage notes

Fe is used in South Wales and is a variant of e. The choice between e and fe is dependent on grammatical and euphonic considerations. The forms o and fo are used in the north.

Particle

fe (triggers soft mutation on the following verb)

1. (South Wales) used with inflected verbs to mark affirmative statements.

   Fe werthes i hanner dwsin.

   I sold half a dozen.

Usage notes

• This particle is optional and may only be used before inflected verbs in the preterite, future or conditional in affirmative statements, e.g. fe fydda i'n mynd (“I will go”).
• Some speakers may drop the particle but keep the resulting soft mutation, e.g. fydda i'n mynd (“I will go”) instead of bydda i'n mynd.

Synonyms

• mi (North Wales)
• y (literary)