# My big vocabulary mistake - "fey" does not equal "fay" & neither means exactly what I intended **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 4, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457 "2015-12-04T22:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/1 "2015-12-04T22:55:21Z")
[I used the work “fey” here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=777043) (post 12) to characterize the latest movie interpretation of Superman villain Lex Luthor. On a whim I looked it up “fey” means otherworldly not prancing foppish behavior. The word “fay” mean’s of the fairy, or like the fairy. Not “gay” fairy but supernatural fairy. Neither word is correctly applied. I am the word mangler. > [@](#): > > fey ----- /fā/ > > adjective: fey; comparative adjective: feyer; superlative adjective: feyest > > giving an impression of vague unworldliness. > “his mother was a strange, fey woman”. Having supernatural powers of clairvoyance. > > •Scottish - fated to die or at the point of death. > “now he is fey, he sees his own death, and I see it too” > [@](#): > > fay - /fā/ > > noun - literary > > noun: fay; plural noun: fays > > a fairy. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/2 "2015-12-04T22:58:23Z")
I always have trouble remembering which one Tina is. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/3 "2015-12-04T23:06:22Z")
Bit hard on yourself: 3 a : excessively refined : precious b : quaintly unconventional : campy — fey·ly adverb — fey·ness noun from [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/4 "2015-12-04T23:35:13Z")
Yeah, “fey” works just fine to describe what we see of Eisenberg’s performance in the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/5 "2015-12-05T00:13:13Z")
And to muddle things more, there’s “fae” which is how most of my mythical fairy friends spell it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/6 "2015-12-05T04:28:03Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Bit hard on yourself: > > 3 a : excessively refined : precious > b : quaintly unconventional : campy > — fey·ly adverb > — fey·ness noun > > from > > [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey) Huh… and I trusted [wiki dictionary](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=hts&oq=&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GUEA_enUS594US594&q=fey%22). Oh well… never again. ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/7 "2015-12-05T12:29:21Z")
**astro:** “On a whim I looked it up “fey” means otherworldly not prancing foppish behavior. The word “fay” mean’s of the fairy, or like the fairy. Not “gay” fairy but supernatural fairy.” Next time, try [TheFreeDictionary.com](http://TheFreeDictionary.com): fey: a. Overrefined, exaggerated, or affected: “She said the word in a deliberately fey and pretentious manner, striking a pose” (Jenefer Shute). b. Effeminate: “a fey snap of the wrist” (Michael Eric Dyson). ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/8 "2015-12-05T12:41:18Z")
Is the OP looking for a compliment? You’re a great word mangler. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/9 "2015-12-08T00:45:01Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I always have trouble remembering which one Tina is. Which one means “snarky, smug, likes to smell her own farts”? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/10 "2015-12-08T08:52:11Z")
In the OED, fay is a **noun** meaning faith, a fairy, ofay, or soil, and a **verb** meaning to fit or to cleanse. (p 938). Fey is an **adjective** meaning fated to die (formerly accursed, week, feeble) or disordered in mind, behaving strangely, or displaying supernatural powers, or leading to or portending death (p 953). ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-big-vocabulary-mistake-fey-does-not-equal-fay-neither-means-exactly-what-i-intended/739457/11 "2015-12-08T16:38:17Z")
😃 > [@gotpasswords](#): > > And to muddle things more, there’s “fae” which is how most of my mythical fairy friends spell it. As it should be!