Rarely Used F Words

Rarely Used F Words Facetious • adjective trivially or inappropriately humorous. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

facetiously adverb facetiousness noun.

French facétieux, from Latin facetia ‘jest’.

Facile • adjective 1 ignoring the complexities of an issue; superficial. 2 (of an achievement) easily accomplished. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

facilely adverb facileness noun.

Latin facilis ‘easy’.

Factitious • adjective artificial; contrived. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

factitiously adverb factitiousness noun.

Latin facticius ‘made by art’.

Fallow • adjective 1 (of farmland) ploughed and harrowed but left for a period without being sown. 2 characterized by inactivity. 3 (of a sow) not pregnant. • noun a piece of fallow land. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fallowness noun.

Old English.

• noun a pale brown or reddish yellow colour. — ORIGIN

Old English.

Fanlight noun a small window, typically semicircular, over a door or another window. Farina • noun flour or meal made of cereal grains, nuts, or starchy roots. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

farinaceous /farrinaysh ss/ adjective.

Latin, from far ‘corn’.

Fatuous • adjective silly and pointless. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fatuity noun (pl. fatuities) fatuously adverb fatuousness noun.

Latin fatuus ‘foolish’.

Febrile • adjective 1 having or showing the symptoms of a fever. 2 having or showing a great deal of nervous excitement. — ORIGIN

Latin febrilis, from febris ‘fever’.

Feckless • adjective 1 ineffectual; feeble. 2 unthinking and irresponsible. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fecklessly adverb fecklessness noun.

from Scots and northern English dialect feck, from effeck, variant of EFFECT.

Feint • noun a deceptive or pretended attacking movement, especially in boxing or fencing. • verb make a feint. — ORIGIN

French feinte, from feindre ‘feign’.

• adjective denoting paper printed with faint lines as a guide for handwriting. — ORIGIN

variant of FAINT.

Felicity • noun (pl. felicities) 1 complete happiness. 2 the ability to express oneself appropriately. 3 a felicitous feature of a work of literature or art. — ORIGIN

Latin felicitas, from felix ‘happy’.

Femur • noun (pl. femurs or femora /femm r /) Anatomy the bone of the thigh or upper hindlimb. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

femoral adjective,

Latin, ‘thigh’.

Fender • noun 1 a low frame bordering a fireplace to keep in falling coals. 2 a cushioning device hung over a ship’s side to protect it against impact. 3 N. Amer. the mudguard or area around the wheel well of a vehicle. Ferrule • noun 1 a ring or cap which strengthens the end of a handle, stick, or tube. 2 a metal band strengthening or forming a joint. — ORIGIN

Old French virelle, from Latin viriae ‘bracelets’.

Fetid • adjective smelling very unpleasant. — ORIGIN

Latin fetidus, from fetere ‘to stink’.

Fetlock • noun a joint of a horse’s or other quadruped’s leg between the knee and the hoof. — ORIGIN

Germanic, related to FOOT.

Fettle • noun condition: in fine fettle. — ORIGIN

Old English, strip of material.

Fey • adjective 1 unworldly and vague. 2 having clairvoyant powers. — ORIGIN

Old English.

Fibula • noun (pl. fibulae /fibyoolee/ or fibulas) Anatomy the outer and usually smaller of the two bones between the knee and the ankle, parallel with the tibia. — ORIGIN

Latin, ‘brooch’, because the shape it makes with the tibia resembles a clasp.

Field Glasses • plural noun binoculars for outdoor use. Fife • noun a small shrill flute used with the drum in military bands. — ORIGIN

German Pfeife ‘pipe’

Filament • noun 1 a slender thread-like object or fibre. 2 a metal wire in an electric light bulb, which glows white-hot when an electric current is passed through it. 3 Botany the slender part of a stamen that supports the anther. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

filamentary adjective filamentous adjective.

Latin filamentum, from filare ‘to spin’.

Filch • verb informal pilfer; steal. — ORIGIN

of unknown origin.

Filibuster • noun prolonged speaking which obstructs progress in a legislative assembly. • verb obstruct legislation with a filibuster. French flibustier, first applied to pirates who pillaged the Spanish colonies in the West Indies, influenced by Spanish filibustero; ultimately from Dutch vrijbuiter ‘freebooter’. — ORIGIN

Filigree • noun delicate ornamental work of fine gold, silver, or copper wire. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

filigreed adjective.

from Latin filum ‘thread’ + granum ‘seed’).

Fink • noun 1 an unpleasant or contemptible person. 2 an informer. • verb 1 (fink on) inform on. 2 (fink out) back out of a responsibility. — ORIGIN

of unknown origin.

Fiord • noun a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, found predominantly in Norway. — ORIGIN

Norwegian.

Firebreak • noun an obstacle to the spread of fire, e.g. a strip of open space in a forest. Firmware • noun Computing permanent software programmed into a read-only memory.

First Past The Post • adjective First Past The Post is the simplest form of plurality/majority electoral system. The winning candidate is the one who gains more votes than any other candidate, even if this is not an absolute majority of valid votes. The system uses single-member districts and the voters vote for candidates rather than political parties.

First Refusal • noun the privilege of deciding whether to accept or reject something before it is offered to others. Fishwife • noun a coarse-mannered woman who is prone to shouting. Fissile • adjective 1 (of an atom or element) able to undergo nuclear fission. 2 (chiefly of rock) easily split. — ORIGIN

Latin fissilis, from findere ‘split, crack’.

Fissure • noun a long, narrow crack. • verb split; crack. — ORIGIN

Latin fissura, from findere ‘to split’.

Fisticuffs • plural noun fighting with the fists. Flaccid • adjective soft and limp. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

flaccidity noun flaccidly adverb.

French flaccide, from Latin flaccus ‘flabby’.

Flagellate • verb flog, either as a religious discipline or for sexual gratification. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

flagellation noun.

Latin flagellare ‘whip’.

• noun any of a large group of protozoans that have one or more flagella used for swimming. • adjective having one or more flagella. Flag Fall • noun Initial fee for hiring a taxi. Flag of Convenience • noun the foreign flag under which merchant ships register in order to save on taxes or wages, or to avoid government regulations. — ORIGIN 1955-1960

1 noun a large container for serving or consuming drinks. 2 a large bottle in which wine or cider is sold, typically holding 1.13 litres (about 2 pints). Flagon •

— ORIGIN

Old French flacon, from Latin flasco.

Flail • noun a tool or machine with a swinging action, used for threshing. • verb 1 swing wildly. 2 (flail around/about) flounder; struggle.

— ORIGIN

Latin flagellum ‘little whip’.

Flak • noun 1 anti-aircraft fire. 2 strong criticism. — ORIGIN

abbreviation of German Fliegerabwehrkanone ‘aviator-defence gun’.

Flange • noun a projecting rim or piece. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

flanged adjective.

perhaps from Old French flanchir ‘to bend’.

Flank • noun 1 the side of a person’s or animal’s body between the ribs and the hip. 2 the side of something such as a building or mountain. 3 the left or right side of a body of people. • verb be situated on each or on one side of. — ORIGIN

Old French flanc.

Fley • verb to frighten; terrify. — ORIGIN 1175–1225; ME flaien, fleien, OE -flīgan (in ā-flȳgan); c. ON fleygia to cause to fly. Cf. FLY

Fledge • verb 1 (of a young bird) develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight. 2 bring up (a young bird) until its wing feathers are developed enough for flight. — ORIGIN from Old English, ready to fly; related to FLY Flocculent •

adjective 1 having or resembling tufts of wool. 2 having a loosely clumped texture.

Floe • noun a sheet of floating ice. — ORIGIN

probably from Norwegian flo ‘layer’.

Florid • adjective 1 having a red or flushed complexion. 2 elaborately or excessively ornate or intricate: florid prose. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

floridity noun floridly adverb floridness noun.

Latin floridus, from flos ‘flower’.

Florin • noun 1 a former British coin worth two shillings. 2 an English gold coin of the 14th century, worth six shillings and eight old pence. 3 a Dutch guilder. — ORIGIN

Italian fiorino ‘little flower’ (originally referring to a Florentine coin bearing a fleur-de-lis).

Flotilla • noun a small fleet of ships or boats. — ORIGIN

Spanish, ‘small fleet’.

Flotsam • noun wreckage found floating on the sea. Compare with JETSAM.

— PHRASES — ORIGIN

flotsam and jetsam useless or discarded objects.

Old French floteson, from floter ‘to float’.

Flounce • verb move in an exaggeratedly impatient or angry manner. • noun an exaggerated action expressing annoyance or impatience. — ORIGIN

perhaps related to Norwegian flunsa ‘hurry’, or perhaps symbolic, like bounce.

• noun a wide ornamental strip of material gathered and sewn to a skirt or dress; a frill. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

flounced adjective flouncy adjective.

from an alteration of obsolete frounce a fold or pleat, from Old French fronce.

Flue • noun 1 a duct in a chimney for smoke and waste gases. 2 a pipe or passage for conveying heat. — ORIGIN

of unknown origin.

Fluidics • noun the technology dealing with the use of a flowing liquid or gas in various devices, esp. controls, to perform functions usually performed by an electric current in electronic devices. — ORIGIN 1960-1965 FLUID + -ICS

Flummox • verb informal perplex; bewilder. — ORIGIN

probably dialect.

Flunkey • noun (pl. flunkeys or flunkies) chiefly derogatory 1 a liveried manservant or footman. 2 a person who performs menial tasks. — ORIGIN

perhaps from FLANK in the sense a person who stands at one’s flank.

Fluster • verb often as adj. flustered make (someone) agitated or confused. • noun a flustered state. — ORIGIN

originally in the sense make slightly drunk: perhaps Scandinavian.

Fluvial • adjective chiefly Geology of or found in a river. — ORIGIN

Latin fluvialis, from fluvius ‘river’.

Fob • noun 1 a chain attached to a watch for carrying in a waistcoat or waistband pocket. 2 (also fob pocket) a small pocket for carrying a watch. 3 a tab on a key ring. — ORIGIN

probably related to German dialect Fuppe ‘pocket’.

• verb (fobbed, fobbing) 1 (fob off) try to deceive (someone) into accepting excuses or something inferior. 2 (fob off on) give (something) inferior to.

— ORIGIN

perhaps related to German foppen ‘deceive, banter’, or to FOP.

Fogy • noun (pl. fogeys or fogies) a very old-fashioned or conservative person. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fogeydom noun fogeyish adjective fogeyism noun.

related to earlier slang fogram, of unknown origin.

Fop • noun a man who is excessively concerned with his clothes and appearance. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

foppery noun foppish adjective foppishly adverb foppishness noun.

originally in the sense fool.

Ford • noun a shallow place in a river or stream where it can be crossed. • verb cross at a ford. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fordable adjective fordless adjective.

Old English, related to FARE.

Foregift • noun an advance payment or premium paid by a tenant on taking or renewing a lease. — ORIGIN 1735–45; Forelock

FORE-

+

GIFT

• noun a lock of hair growing just above the forehead.

touch (or tug) one’s forelock raise a hand to one’s forehead in deference to a person of higher social rank. — PHRASES

Forename • noun another term for FIRST NAME.

Fossick • verb Austral./NZ informal 1 rummage; search. 2 search for gold in abandoned workings. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fossicker noun.

probably from the English dialect sense obtain by asking.

Foundling • noun an infant that has been abandoned by its parents and is discovered and cared for by others. Fracas • noun (pl. same or /frakaaz/ or US fracases /frak siz/) a noisy disturbance or quarrel. — ORIGIN

French, from Italian fracassare ‘make an uproar’.

Fractal • noun a curve or geometrical figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. • adjective relating to or of the nature of a fractal or fractals.

— ORIGIN

French, from Latin frangere ‘break’.

Fractious • adjective 1 easily irritated. 2 difficult to control. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fractiously adverb fractiousness noun.

from FRACTION, probably on the pattern of faction, factious.

Frangible • adjective fragile; brittle. — ORIGIN

Latin frangibilis, from frangere ‘to break’.

Free Alongside Ship • adjective seller agrees to deliver merchandise alongside ship for no extra charge to buyer. Free Vote • noun chiefly Brit. a parliamentary division in which members vote independently of party policy.

Fretwork • noun ornamental design done with a fretsaw. Friable • adjective easily crumbled. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

friability noun.

Latin friabilis, from friare ‘to crumble’.

Frieze • noun 1 a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration. 2 Architecture the part of an entablature between the architrave and the cornice. — ORIGIN

Latin frisium, from Phrygium opus ‘work of Phrygia’.

Frigate • noun 1 a warship with a mixed armament, generally lighter than a destroyer. 2 historical a sailing warship of a size just below that of a ship of the line. — ORIGIN

Italian fregata.

Frisk • verb 1 pass the hands over (someone) in a search for hidden weapons or drugs. 2 skip or move playfully; frolic. • noun 1 a search by frisking. 2 a playful skip or leap. — ORIGIN

Old French frisque ‘alert, lively’.

Frond • noun the leaf or leaf-like part of a palm, fern, or similar plant. — ORIGIN

Latin frons ‘leaf’.

Frontispiece • noun an illustration facing the title page of a book. — ORIGIN

Latin frontispicium ‘facade’.

Frowzy • adjective (frowzier, frowziest) scruffy, dingy, and neglected in appearance. — ORIGIN

of unknown origin.

Fructify • verb (fructifies, fructified) 1 formal make or become fruitful. 2 bear fruit. — ORIGIN

Latin fructificare, from fructus ‘fruit’.

Fuddy-duddy • noun (pl. fuddy-duddies) informal a person who is very old-fashioned and pompous. — ORIGIN

of unknown origin.

Fulcrum • noun (pl. fulcra /foolkr / or fulcrums) the point against which a lever is placed to get a purchase, or on which it turns or is supported. — ORIGIN

Latin, ‘post of a couch’, from fulcire ‘prop up’.

Fulminate • verb 1 express vehement protest. 2 literary explode violently or flash like lightning. 3 (of a disease or symptom) develop suddenly and severely. — ORIGIN

Latin fulminare ‘strike with lightning’, from fulmen ‘lightning’.

Fulsome • adjective 1 complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree. 2 of large size or quantity; generous or abundant: fulsome details. — DERIVATIVES

fulsomely adverb fulsomeness noun.

Although the earliest sense of fulsome was ‘abundant’, this is now regarded by many as incorrect; the correct meaning today is said to be ‘excessively flattering’. This gives rise to ambiguity: the possibility that while for one speaker fulsome praise will be a genuine compliment, for others it will be interpreted as an insult. — USAGE

Funicular • adjective (of a railway on a steep slope) operated by cable with ascending and descending cars counterbalanced. • noun a funicular railway. — ORIGIN

from Latin funiculus ‘little rope’.

Funk • noun (also blue funk) a state of panic or depression. • verb avoid out of fear. perhaps from FUNK in the informal sense tobacco smoke, or from obsolete Flemish fonck ‘disturbance, agitation’. — ORIGIN

• noun a style of popular dance music of US black origin, having a strong rhythm that typically accentuates the first beat in the bar. — ORIGIN

perhaps from French dialect funkier ‘blow smoke on’.

Funny Money • noun informal currency that is forged or otherwise worthless. Furcate • adjective forked; branching. — ORIGIN 1810–20; < ML furcātus cloven. See Furl •

FORK,

-ATE

verb roll or fold up neatly and securely.

— DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

furled adjective.

French ferler, from Old French fer, ferm ‘firm’ + lier ‘bind’.

Furlong • noun an eighth of a mile, 220 yards. from the Old English words for furrow + long (originally denoting the length of a furrow in a common field). — ORIGIN

Furlough • noun leave of absence, especially from military duty. • verb US grant furlough to. — ORIGIN

Dutch verlof.

Furphy • noun (pl. furphies) Austral. informal a far-fetched rumour. from the name painted on water and sanitary carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria. — ORIGIN

Furrow • noun 1 a long, narrow trench made in the ground by a plough. 2 a rut or groove. 3 a deep wrinkle on a person’s face. • verb 1 make a furrow in. 2 mark or be marked with furrows. — ORIGIN

Old English.

Furtive • adjective characterized by guilty or evasive secrecy; stealthy. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

furtively adverb furtiveness noun.

Latin furtivus, from furtum ‘theft’.

Fusty • adjective (fustier, fustiest) 1 smelling stale, damp, or stuffy. 2 old-fashioned. — DERIVATIVES — ORIGIN

fustiness noun.

Old French fuste ‘smelling of the cask’.