fee

English

/fiː/

noun
Definitions
  • (feudal law) A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.
  • (legal) An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.
  • (legal) An estate of inheritance in land, either absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs (fee simple) or limited to a particular class of heirs (fee tail).
  • (obsolete) Property; owndom; estate.
  • (obsolete) Money paid or bestowed; payment; emolument.
  • (obsolete) A prize or reward. Only used in the set phrase "A finder's fee" in Modern English.
  • A monetary payment charged for professional services.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English fee inherited from Old English feoh (cattle, property, money, livestock, wealth, tribute, fee, payment) derived from Old French fieu (fief) derived from Latin fevum derived from Frankish *fehu (cattle, livestock, owndom, fee, property) inherited from Proto-Germanic *fehu (livestock, cattle, sheep, wealth, owndom) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *peḱu- (livestock, domestic animals, cattle), *peḱ- (livestock, pluck, joyful, comb, make glad, shear, pluck wool, wool, pretty, be joyful, hair, please oneself, make attractive, make pretty).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*peḱ-

Gloss

livestock, pluck, joyful, comb, make glad, shear, pluck wool, wool, pretty, be joyful, hair, please oneself, make attractive, make pretty

Concept
Semantic Field

Animals

Ontological Category

Person/Thing

Kanji

畜

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms