fæder
/ˈfæ.der/
fæder is the Old English word for dad.
The term is used as a noun to refer to a father.
Meaning: informal: a father (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable. It is pronounced /ˈfæ.der/.
Did you know?
- The Old English word fæder is a direct relative of the Latin word 'pater' and the Greek word 'patēr'.
- In Old English, the word fæder would have been used in a grammatical system where the word changed its ending depending on whether the father was the subject, the object, or the possessor.
- If you were looking at the word in an Old English manuscript, the letter 'æ' in fæder is a single vowel sound, not two separate letters 'a' and 'e'.
Example conversation
Mildryth is asking Æthelstan about his parent.
- MildrythHæfst þū þīnne fæder gesewen?Have you seen your father?
- ÆthelstanNā, hē is on felda.No, he is in the field.
- MildrythIs he gesund?Is he healthy?
- ÆthelstanGea, min fæder is strang.Yes, my father is strong.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry fæder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fæder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
