fa-, fam-, fan-, fat-, -fess +
(Latin: talk, speak, say, spoken about; acknowledge)
fay
A fairy, elf, or other small supernatural being from folklore.
femme fatale
A dangerously attractive woman.
ill-fated
1. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
2. Marked by or causing misfortune; unlucky.
ineffable, ineffability
1. Incapable of being expressed in words.
2. Too great, or extreme, to be expressed or described in words.
ineffably
1. To an inexpressible degree.
2. Incapable of being expressed in words.
infamous
1. Having an extremely bad reputation.
2. So bad as to earn someone an extremely bad reputation.
infamy
1. The disgrace to someone’s reputation caused by an infamous act or behavior.
2. Shameful or criminal conduct or character.
infancy
1. The condition or time of childhood before a baby walks or talks.
2. An early stage of development for an idea, project, or enterprise.
3. The earliest period of childhood, especially before the ability to talk or walk has been acquired.
4. Etymology: from late Middle English; from Latin infantia, "inability to speak, childhood"; from infans, infant, meaning "not able to speak"; from in-, "not" + fans, present participle of fari, "to speak".
infant
1. A very young child who can neither walk nor talk.
2. A young person legally considered a minor.
3. Etymology: from Latin, literally “not speaking”; from infans, “not able to speak”.
infanticide, infanticidal
1. One who kills an infant.
2. The killing of infants; especially, the custom of killing new-born infants, which prevailed in primitive societies, and was common in the ancient world.
3. The crime of murdering an infant after its birth, perpetrated by or with the consent of its parents; especially, the mother.
4. The practice of killing newborn babies.
infantile
1. Showing a lack of maturity; childish.
2. Relating to infants or infancy.
infantilism
A condition of mental or physical underdevelopment, in which a person fails to mature sexually and emotionally; childish or immature behavior.
infantry
1. The soldiers or a unit of soldiers who are trained to fight on foot.
2. Etymology: from Latin
infans, “not speaking” then Italian
infante, “youth, foot soldier” and via French
infanterie, to English.
First recorded by John Wycliffe in 1382, infant comes from the Latin infans, “unable to speak”. It once meant a “childe” or “a young knight, a youth of gentle birth” as well as a baby. Thus we have the word infantry originally referring to foot soldiers, “soldiers who were too young and too inexperienced to serve in the cavalry”.
preface
1. An introductory section at the beginning of a book or speech that comments on aspects of the text; such as, the writer’s intentions; to say before.
2. To introduce an action, speech, or piece of writing.
prefatory
Serving to introduce something else; such as, a main body of text or a speech.
Cross references of word families related directly, or indirectly, to: "talk, speak, speech; words, language; tongue, etc.":
cit-;
clam-;
dic-;
English Words: Origins and Histories;
-farious;
glosso-;
glotto-;
lalo-;
linguo-;
locu-;
logo-;
loqu-;
mythico-;
-ology;
ora-;
-phasia;
-phemia;
phon-;
phras-;
Quotes: Language,Part 1;
Quotes: Language, Part 2;
Quotes: Language, Part 3;
serm-;
tongue;
voc-.
Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "divination, diviner; seer, soothsayer, prophecy, prophesy, prophet":
augur-;
auspic-;
Fates in action;
futur-;
-mancy;
omen;
-phemia;
sorc-, sorcery;
vati-.
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