Etymograph

English

feat

Feat comes from Anglo-Norman fet ‘action, deed’, from Latin faciō ‘to do, to make’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyéti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjō1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjō1‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaciō2as facere‘to do, to make’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfactum2
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fait2
  8. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400fet2‘action, deed’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1590feat2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin facio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English feat
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Robert Greene, The Shepheards Tale: “[…] she set downe her period on the face…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-Wiktionary, Latin facioreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyétiWiktionary, Latin facioreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjōWiktionary, Latin facioreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjōWiktionary, Latin facio‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaciōWiktionary, English featas facere‘to do, to make’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfactumWiktionary, English feat
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400faitWiktionary, English feat
  8. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400fetWiktionary, English feat‘action, deed’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1590featWiktionary, English feat. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Robert Greene, The Shepheards Tale: “[…] she set downe her period on the face…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *θakjō

effectively, effectiveness, ineffective, affectionate, imperfection, 62 more

through Proto-Italic *fakjō ‘to make’

effective, difficulty, interface, perfection, affection, imperfect, facet, affective, defection, defector, effector, deface, putrefaction, confectionary, affectation, 67 more

through Latin faciō ‘to do, to make’

face, difficult, perfect, effect, profit, factor, facility, efficient, faculty, affair, affect, sacrifice, infection, facial, deficit, manufacture, faction, facilitate, efficacy, superficial, facade, defect, deficient, fetish, counterfeit, infect, facsimile, hacienda, maleficent, aficionado, efficacious, parfait, facies, difficile, confit, beautify, confection, beneficent, refectory, 83 more

through Latin factum

fact, 1 more

Today it means

noun A relatively rare or difficult accomplishment.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “feat”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin facio. 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 *dʰeh₁k- / feat

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