Etymograph

English

fado

Fado comes from Portuguese fado ‘fate’, and goes back to Latin fātum.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfātum1
  2. Portuguesec. 1500–presentfado1‘fate’
  3. Englishtodayfado1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fado

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfātumWiktionary, English fado
  2. Portuguesec. 1500–presentfadoWiktionary, English fado‘fate’
  3. EnglishtodayfadoWiktionary, English fado

Linked words

through Latin fātum

fatal, 1 more

Today it means

noun A Portuguese folk song, usually featuring a single vocalist, Portuguese guitar and sometimes classical guitar. Lyrical themes are often melancholic in nature; the structure of the song is of greater importance.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fado”. 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 / Latin fātum / fado

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