English
fabulous
Fabulous comes from Latin fābulōsus ‘celebrated in fable’, from fābula ‘discourse, narrative’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂ti1‘to speak, to be talking’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāōr1‘to speak’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfor1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfābula1‘discourse, narrative’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfābulōsus1‘celebrated in fable’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fabulous1
- Englishearliest quotation 1949fabulous1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English fabulous
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1949, Joseph Campbell, The Hero and the God: “[F]abulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, English fabulous‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂tiWiktionary, English fabulous‘to speak, to be talking’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāōrWiktionary, English fabulous‘to speak’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEforWiktionary, English fabulous
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfābulaWiktionary, English fabulous‘discourse, narrative’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfābulōsusWiktionary, English fabulous‘celebrated in fable’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fabulousWiktionary, English fabulous
- Englishearliest quotation 1949fabulousWiktionary, English fabulous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1949, Joseph Campbell, The Hero and the God: “[F]abulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’
phone, professor, focus, fuel, ben, phase, ban, favor, fantasy, photographer, favourite, famous, emphasis, fancy, phenomenon, profession, fate, fame, bee, fatal, confession, fairy, abandon, confess, infant, phantom, symphony, beacon, beck, boon, bane, epiphany, foyer, banish, fay, profess, bene, banal, buoy, fantasia, 122 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂ti ‘to speak, to be talking’
through Latin for
eff, affable, ineffable, 12 more
through Latin fābula ‘discourse, narrative’
through Middle English fabulous
Today it means
adj Of or relating to fable, myth or legend.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fabulous”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / fabulous