Etymograph

English

fatness

Fatness comes from Old English fǣtnes ‘fatness, the richest part of anything’, from fǣtt ‘fattened’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *poyh₂d-o-s.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*poyh₂d-o-s1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faitaz2‘fat’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faitijaną3‘to fatten, to make fat, plump up’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faitijan4‘to make fat’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faitid5‘fattened, made fat’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣtt6‘fattened’
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣtnes7‘fatness, the richest part of anything’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fatnesse7
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1597fatness7

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *faitaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *faitijaną
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *faitijan
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *faitid
  5. 5 Wiktionary, Old English fætt
  6. 6 Wiktionary, Old English fætnes
  7. 7 Wiktionary, English fatness
  8. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1597, John Gerarde [i.e., Of Panick: “Bread made of Pannick nouriſheth little, and is cold…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*poyh₂d-o-sWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *faitazreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faitazWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *faitijaną‘fat’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faitijanąWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *faitijan‘to fatten, to make fat, plump up’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faitijanWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *faitid‘to make fat’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faitidWiktionary, Old English fætt‘fattened, made fat’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣttWiktionary, Old English fætnes‘fattened’
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150fǣtnesWiktionary, English fatness‘fatness, the richest part of anything’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fatnesseWiktionary, English fatness
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1597fatnessWiktionary, English fatness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1597, John Gerarde [i.e., Of Panick: “Bread made of Pannick nouriſheth little, and is cold…”

Linked words

through Old English fǣtt ‘fattened’

fat

Today it means

noun The state, quality, or condition of being fat.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fatness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *faitaz, Proto-Germanic *faitijaną, Proto-West Germanic *faitijan, Proto-West Germanic *faitid, Old English fætt, Old English fætnes. 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 *poyh₂d-o-s / fatness

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