Etymologically
Log in

fêter

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word fêter

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1223 Gautier de Coinci, Miracles de Nostre Dame More words from the 13th century
Ultimate origins
Proto-Italic *fēsto-French -er
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fēstus
Latin fēstum
German Fest
Latin fēsta
French fête
French fêter
Italian festa
Spanish fiesta
English fiesta
From the same root
Latin fēstīvus ← fēstus
Latin prōfēstus ← fēstus
Italian festeggiare ← festa

Pronunciation

Forms

fêter[1] Old French fester, also fiester; the spelling fêter dates from the 17th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French fête + -er, first as Old French fester.[4][5][3][1] Fête is from Latin festa, understood with diēs (“day”), the feminine of the adjective festus (“festive”) used as a noun.[6]

Cognate with Walloon fiesti.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded about 1223 in Gautier de Coinci's Miracles de Nostre Dame, as an intransitive verb meaning “to keep a feast, celebrate”.[4][5] The GLLF dates fiester, fester to the end of the 12th century, in the Geste des Loherains.[2]

Semantic evolution

In the middle of the 16th century the verb became transitive, “to honour (a saint) with a feast”, as in Amyot.[5][2][7] From this came fêter quelqu'un “to welcome someone warmly” (1728).[4][5] From the middle of the 19th century it also meant “to hold a celebration for (something)”.[4][5] Intransitive fêter means “to party” in Quebec French, and in African French “to take part in a celebration”.[5]

Timeline

  • Late 12th century – Fiester, fester in the Geste des Loherains, according to the GLLF.[2]
  • c. 1223 – Fester “to celebrate a feast” in Gautier de Coinci.[4][5]
  • Mid-16th century – Transitive use, “to honour (a saint) with a feast”, in Amyot.[2][5]
  • 1690 – Furetière records c'est un saint qu'on ne fête plus.[2]
  • 1728 – Marivaux uses fêter quelqu'un “to make much of someone”.[4]
  • Mid-19th century – “To hold a celebration for (something)”.[5]
  • 1859 – Fêtard is recorded.[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To celebrate (an event, a date) with a festivity: Nous avons fêté la fin des examens.[8][4]
  2. To honour (a saint, a religious feast) with a feast.[8][4][7]
  3. To honour (someone) with a party.[8] (figurative) To welcome (someone) warmly.[8][4]
  4. (Quebec, intransitive) To party.[5]

Usage notes

C'est un saint qu'on ne fête plus is said of someone who has lost all influence.[2][7] Fêter la bouteille was a familiar phrase for being fond of drink.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Fêter.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/f%C3%AAter. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·