Online Etymology Dictionary

fantasize (v.): 1926, from fantasy + -ize. Related: Fantasized; fantasizing. An earlier verb was fantasticate (c. 1600).
fantastic (adj.): late 14c., "existing only in imagination," from Middle French fantastique (14c.), from Medieval Latin fantasticus, from Late Latin phantasticus "imaginary," from Greek phantastikos "able to imagine," from phantazein "make visible" (middle voice phantazesthai "picture to oneself"); see phantasm. Trivial sense of "wonderful, marvelous" recorded by 1938. Old French had a different adjective form, fantasieus "weird; insane; make-believe." Medieval Latin also used fantasticus as a noun, "a lunatic," and Shakespeare and his contemporaries had it in Italian form fantastico "one who acts ridiculously."
fantastical (adj.): late 15c., from fantastic + -al (1). Related: Fantastically.
fantasy (n.): early 14c., "illusory appearance," from Old French fantaisie, phantasie "vision, imagination" (14c.), from Latin phantasia, from Greek phantasia "power of imagination; appearance, image, perception," from phantazesthai "picture to oneself," from phantos "visible," from phainesthai "appear," in late Greek "to imagine, have visions," related to phaos, phos "light," phainein "to show, to bring to light" (see phantasm). Sense of "whimsical notion, illusion" is pre-1400, followed by that of "fantastic imagination," which is first attested 1530s. Sense of "day-dream based on desires" is from 1926. In early use in English also fantasie, phantasy, etc. As the name of a fiction genre, from 1949.
fantods (n.): 1835, jocular formation, perhaps based on fantasy.
There is an indescribable complaint, which will never allow a moment's repose to mind or body; which nothing will satisfy--which allows of no beginning, and no ending--which wheels round the mind like the squirrel in its cage, ever moving, but still making no progress. It is called the Fantods. From the diagnostics, we pronounce Lord Brougham incurably diseased with the Fantods. ["The Metropolitan," London, October 1835]
fantom (n.): obsolete form of phantom.
fanzine (n.): 1949, from fan (n.2) + suffix abstracted from magazine.
fap (v.): "masturbate" (also the sound of it), slang, by 2001, echoic. Earlier, "drunk" (late 16c.). Related: Fapped; fapping.
FAQ (n.): acronym from frequently asked questions, by 1990.
faqir (n.): see fakir.
far (adj.): Old English feorr "far, remote, distant" (cognates: Old Saxon fer, Old Frisian fer, Old Norse fjarre, Dutch ver, Old High German ferro, German fern), probably a development in western Proto-Germanic from the adverb (see far (adv.)). Far East "China, Japan, and surrounding regions" is from 1838.
far (adv.): Old English feor "to a great distance, long ago," from Proto-Germanic *ferro (source also of Old Saxon fer, Old Frisian fir, Old Norse fiarre, Old High German fer, Gothic fairra), from PIE *per (1), base of words for "through, forward," with extended senses such as "across, beyond" (source also of Sanskrit parah "farther, remote, ulterior," Hittite para "outside of," Greek pera "across, beyond," Latin per "through," Old Irish ire "farther"). Paired with wide since 9c.
far-away (adj.): also faraway, "distant, remote," 1816, from far + away.
far-fetched (adj.): also far fetched, farfetched, 1560s, "brought from afar," from far (adv.) + past participle of fetch (v.). An earlier form was far fet (1530s). Figurative sense is from c. 1600.
far-flung (adj.): 1828, mainly in poetry, from far (adv.) + past tense of fling (v.).
far-off (adj.): also faroff, "distant, remote," 1590s, from adverbial phrase, from far (adv.) + off (adv.).
far-out (adj.): also far out, 1887, "remote, distant;" from adverbial phrase, from far (adv.) + out (adv.). Slang sense of "excellent, wonderful," is from 1954, originally in jazz talk.
far-reaching (adj.): 1808, from far (adv.) + present participle of reach (v.).
far-sighted (adj.): also farsighted, 1640s, "forecasting, prescient;" 1878 in reference to a defect of the eyes (hypermetropic); see far (adv.) + sight (v.). Related: Farsightedness.
farad (n.): unit of electric capacity, suggested 1861, first used 1868, named for English physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867). Related: Faradic.
farang (n.): in Thai, "white person," 1861, ultimately from Frank (see Feringhee).
farce (n.): late 14c., "force-meat, stuffing;" 1520s, in the dramatic sense "ludicrous satire; low comedy," from Middle French farce "comic interlude in a mystery play" (16c.), literally "stuffing," from Old French farcir "to stuff," (13c.), from Latin farcire "to stuff, cram," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE *bhrekw- "to cram together," and thus related to frequens "crowded."
... for a farce is that in poetry which grotesque is in a picture. The persons and action of a farce are all unnatural, and the manners false, that is, inconsisting with the characters of mankind. [Dryden, "A Parallel of Poetry and Painting"]
According to OED and other sources, the pseudo-Latin farsia was applied 13c. in France and England to praise phrases inserted into liturgical formulae (for example between kyrie and eleison) at the principal festivals, then in Old French farce was extended to the impromptu buffoonery among actors that was a feature of religious stage plays. Generalized sense of "a ridiculous sham" is from 1690s in English.
farcical (adj.): 1716, from farce + -ical, perhaps on the model of comical. Related: Farcically.
fardel (n.): "bundle, burden," c. 1300, from Old French fardel "parcel, package, small pack" (13c., Modern French fardeau), diminutive of farde, which OED says is "cognate with" (others say "from") Spanish fardo "pack, bundle," which is said to be from Arabic fardah "package."
fare (n.): Old English fær "journey, road, passage, expedition," from strong neuter of faran "to journey" (see fare (v.)); merged with faru "journey, expedition, companions, baggage," strong fem. of faran. Original sense is obsolete, except in compounds (wayfarer, sea-faring, etc.) Meaning "food provided" is c. 1200 (Old English also had the word in the sense "means of subsistence"); that of "conveyance" appears in Scottish early 15c. and led to sense of "payment for passage" (1510s). Meaning "person conveyed in a vehicle" is from 1560s.
fare (v.): Old English faran "to journey, set forth, go, travel, wander, make one's way," also "be, happen, exist; be in a particular condition," from Proto-Germanic *faran "to go" (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic faran, Old Norse and Old Frisian fara, Dutch varen, German fahren), from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)). Related: Fared; faring.
farewell (interj.): expression at parting, late 14c., from Middle English faren wel, verbal phrase attested by c. 1200 (see fare (v.) + well (adv.)); usually said to the departing person, who replied with good-bye. As a noun, "a good-bye, a leave-taking," by early 15c. Expression to a fare-thee-well "to the last degree" is by 1884, American English.
farina (n.): 1707, "dust, powdery substance," from Latin farina "ground wheat, flour, meal," from far (genitive farris) "grits, spelt, a kind of grain" (see barley).
farinaceous (adj.): "of or pertaining to flour or meal," 1640s, from Late Latin farinaceus, from Latin farina "flour, meal" (see farina).
farm (n.): c. 1300, "fixed payment (usually in exchange for taxes collected, etc.), fixed rent," from Old French ferme "a rent, lease" (13c.), from Medieval Latin firma "fixed payment," from Latin firmare "to fix, settle, confirm, strengthen," from firmus "strong; stable," figuratively "constant, trusty" (see firm (adj.)).

Sense of "tract of leased land" is first recorded early 14c.; that of "cultivated land" (leased or not) is 1520s. A word of confused history, but there is agreement that "the purely agricultural sense is comparatively modern" [Century Dictionary]. There is a set of Old English words that appear to be related in sound and sense; if these, too, are from Latin it would be a very early borrowing. Some books strenuously defend a theory that the Anglo-Saxon words are original (perhaps related to feorh "life").

Phrase buy the farm "die in battle," is at least from World War II, perhaps a cynical reference to the draftee's dream of getting out of the war and going home, in many cases to a peaceful farmstead. But fetch the farm is prisoner slang from at least 1879 for "get sent to the infirmary," with reference to the better diet and lighter duties there.
farm (v.): mid-15c., "to rent (land)," from Anglo-French fermer, from ferme "a rent, lease" (see farm (n.)). The agricultural sense is from 1719. Original sense is retained in to farm out.
farm-hand (n.): also farmhand, "hired laborer on a farm," by 1835, from farm (n.) + hand (n.) in the "hired workman" sense.
farm-house (n.): also farmhouse, "principal dwelling-house of a farm," 1590s, from farm (n.) + house (n.).
farmer (n.): late 14c., "one who collects taxes, etc.," from Anglo-French fermer, Old French fermier "lease-holder," from Medieval Latin firmarius, from firma "fixed payment" (see farm (n.)). In the agricultural sense, 1590s, replacing native churl and husbandman.
farming (n.): 1590s, "action of farming out, practice of letting or leasing taxes, etc., for collection," verbal noun from farm (v.). Meaning "business of cultivating land, husbandry" is attested by 1733.
farmland (n.): mid-14c., from farm (n.) + land (n.).
farmstead (n.): "collection of buildings belonging to a farm," 1785, from farm (n.) + stead (n.).
faro (n.): 18th century gambling game with cards, 1726, sometimes said to be altered from pharaoh, perhaps his image was on one of the cards, but early descriptions of the game give no indication of this and it seems to have been played with a standard deck.
Faroese (n.): also Faeroese, 1816, from the Faroe islands, at the ends of the North Sea, literally "sheep-islands," from Faroese Føroyar, from før "sheep" + oy (plural oyar) "island."
Farquhar: surname attested from late 12c., from Gaelic fearchar "very dear one."
farrago (n.): "hodgepodge, a confused mix," 1630s, from Latin farrago "medley, mixed fodder, mix of grains for animal feed," from far "grain" (see barley).
Farrell: Irish surname, from Irish Fearghail "man of valor."
farrier (n.): 1560s, "one who shoes horses," from Middle French ferrier "blacksmith," from Latin ferrarius "blacksmith," noun use of adjective meaning "of iron," from ferrum "iron" (in Medieval Latin, also "horseshoe"); see ferro-. An earlier form of it in English was ferrer, ferrour "ironsmith" (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French ferreor, from Medieval Latin ferrator "blacksmith."
farrow (n.): Old English fearh "young pig," from Proto-Germanic *farkhaz "young pig" (source also of Middle Low German ferken, Dutch varken, both diminutives; Old High German farh, German Ferkel "young pig, suckling pig"), from PIE *porko- (see pork (n.)). Sense of "a litter of pigs" first recorded 1570s, probably via the verb ("to bring forth piglets," of a sow), which is attested from early 13c.
Farsi (n.): "the modern Persian language," 1878, from the usual Iranian word for it, from Fars, the Arabic form of Pars (no "p" in Arabic), the name of a region in southwestern Iran, where the modern language evolved from Persian (an Indo-European language), to which many Arabic (Semitic) elements have been added.
fart (v.): Old English feortan, ultimately from PIE *perd- (source also of Old High German ferzan, Old Norse freta, Danish fjerte, Sanskrit pard, Greek perdein, Lithuanian perdzu, Russian perdet), of imitative origin. Related: Farted; farting. As a noun, from late 14c.
Clatterer or clatterfart, which wyl disclose anye light secreate. [Richard Huloet, "Abecedarium Anglo-Latinum," 1552]
farther (adj.): late 14c., "front;" variant of further (adj.). From 1510s as "additional;" 1560s as "more remote."
farther (adv.): 15c. alteration of Middle English ferther (c. 1300), a variant of further (adv.). There is no historical basis for the notion that farther is of physical distance and further of degree or quality.
farthest (adj.): "most distant or remote," late 14c., superlative of far.
farthing (n.): Old English feorðing (Old Northumbrian feorðung) "quarter of a penny; a fourth part," a diminutive derivative of feorða "fourth" (from feower "four;" see four) + -ing "fractional part." Cognate with Old Frisian fiardeng, Middle Low German verdink, Old Norse fjorðungr, Old Danish fjerdung "a fourth part of anything."

In late Old English also a division of land, probably originally a quarter of a hide. The modern English coin first was minted under Edward I and abolished 1961. The word was used in biblical translations for Latin quadrans "quarter of a denarius."
I shall geat a fart of a dead man as soone As a farthyng of him. [Heywood, "Proverbs," 1562]