fer

Pronunciation

• Homophones: fir, fur

Preposition

fer

1. (dialectal, especially Britain) Eye dialect spelling of for.
   • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:

     “[…] Them rich fellers, they don't make no bad breaks with their money. They watch it all th' time b'cause they know blame well there ain't hardly room fer their feet fer th' pikers an' tin-horns an' thimble-riggers what are layin' fer 'em. […]”

   1997, J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, iv:

   ‘Got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste all right.’

References

• fer in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• REF, Ref, Ref., erf, ref

Etymology

From Latin facere, present active infinitive of faciō.

Verb

fer

1. to make

Etymology 1

From Old Occitan far, from Latin facere, present active infinitive of faciō, from Proto-Italic *fakiō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”).

Etymology 2

From Old Occitan [Term?] (compare Occitan fèr), from Latin ferus (compare French fier, Spanish fiero), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer-.

References

• “fer” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• Institut d’Estudis Catalans (1995). Diccionari de la llengua catalana (4th edition). →ISBN.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /feːɹ/
• Homophone: ferð

Verb

fer

1. third-person singular present of fara

Etymology

From Middle French fer, from Old French fer, from Latin ferrum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛʁ/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

fer m (plural fers)

1. iron
2. shoe (for horse); steel tip
3. (golf) iron
4. iron (appliance)
5. (in the plural, archaic) irons, fetters

Further reading

• “fer” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Verb

fer

1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of for
2. second-person singular present active imperative of fero

Etymology

From Old Irish fer, from Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛr/

Noun

fer m (plural fir)

1. man

   Cha nel mee lowal rish y fer aeg shen. ― I do not approve of that young man.

2. one (modified by an adjective or demonstrative, referring to an object or animal)

   Ta fer jiarg aym. ― I have a red one [e.g. chair].

   Ta mee fakin kiare fir ghlassey. ― I see four green ones [e.g. birds].

   By vie lhiam yn fer shen. ― I would like that one [e.g. toy].

3. used as a dummy noun to support a number, referring to a person, object or animal

   Ta fer ennagh ayns shoh laccal dy akin oo. ― There's a fellow here who wants to see you.

   Ta fer aym. ― I have one [e.g. chair].

   Ta mee fakin kiare fir. ― I see four [e.g. birds].

Mutation

References

• “fer” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Etymology

From French faire.

Verb

fer (medial form fer)

1. To make
2. To do

Etymology

From Old English feorr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛr/

Adjective

fer

1. Far.
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Prologues”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], OCLC 230972125; republished as William Thynne, editor, The Woorkes of Geffrey Chaucer, Newly Printed, with Diuers Addicions, which were Neuer in Printe before: With the Siege and Destruccion of the Worthy Citee of Thebes, Compiled by Ihon Lidgate, Monke of Berie. As in the Table More Plainly Dooeth Appere, London: Imprinted at London, by Ihon Kyngston, for Ihon Wight, dwellying in Poules Churchyarde, 1561, OCLC 932919585, “The Parsone”, line 493, column 1:

     Wide was his parishe, & houſes fer a ſonder.

Etymology

From Old French fer.

Noun

fer m (plural fers)

1. iron (metal)
2. (by extension) (iron) sword

Alternative forms

• faer (Guernsey)
• fé (France, Jersey)

Noun

fer m (uncountable)

1. (Sark) iron

Verb

fer

1. present tense of fara and fare

Alternative forms

• faire
• far

Etymology

From Latin facere, present active infinitive of faciō.

Verb

fer

1. to do
2. to make

Etymology 1

From Latin ferrum.

Etymology 2

Latin ferum, accusative of ferus (“wild”)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (fier)
• fer on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Etymology

From West Proto-Germanic *ferro-, whence also Old English feorr.

Adjective

fer

1. remote

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *wiros, from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós. Cognates include Latin vir, Sanskrit वीर (vīrá) and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂 (wair).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʲer/

Noun

fer m (genitive fir, nominative plural fir)

1. man
2. husband

Mutation

References

• “fer” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛr/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *ferro, an old comparative form

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *ferro.

Etymology

Compare German für, Dutch voor, English for.

Preposition

fer

1. for

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader) far

Etymology

From Latin faciō, facere.

Verb

fer

1. (Puter) to do, make

Alternative forms

• fere, ferr

Pronunciation

• (Hawick) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛr/

Adjective

fer (comparative ferther, superlative ferthest)

1. (Southern Scots) far

Adjective

fer

1. Soft mutation of ber (“short”).

Mutation