feu

See also: féu and fe'u

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fjuː/

Noun

feu (plural feus)

1. (Scotland, law) Land held in feudal tenure.

Derived terms

• feuar
• feu-holding
• feu-holder

Verb

feu (third-person singular simple present feus, present participle feuing, simple past and past participle feued)

1. (Scotland, law, transitive) To bring (land) under the system of feudal tenure.
   • 1813, "Keith", Entry in Nicholas Carlisle, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Volume II, unnumbered page,

     The Village of OLD KEITH is of ancient date, having been partly feued by the predecessors of the Family of Forbes, and partly feued by the Ministers, and stands upon the glebe: this Village is greatly on the decline, and almost a ruin.—About the year 1750, the late Lord FINDLATER divided a barren Muir, and feued it out in small lots […] .

   • 1841, Alexander Dunlop, J. M. Bell, John Murray, James Donaldson (reporters), Cases Decided in the Court of Session, Volume 3, 2nd Series, page 620,

     The prohibition of feuing beyond a certain extent was clearly implied; […] .

   • 2001, Richard Rodger, The Transformation of Edinburgh: Land, Property and Trust in the Nineteenth Century, Cambridge University Press, 2004, Paperback, page 68,

     But in effect, whereas Heriot's knew that their feuing conditions were subordinate to the law of contract, the Earl of Moray knew by 1822 that as a result of the Lords' decision in 1818 estate development could not be controlled by contract law and the feuing plan. […] The impact on the Moray estate was that […] despite a recession in the Edinburgh property market generally after 1826, virtually the entire estate was feued by 1836.

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Asturian

Etymology

From Latin foedus.

Adjective

feu m sg (feminine singular fea, neuter singular feo, masculine plural feos, feminine plural fees)

1. ugly
2. bad, gloomy (weather)

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Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈfɛw]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈfəw]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈfew]

Etymology 1

From Old Occitan feu, from Frankish *fehu, from Proto-Germanic *fehu.

Noun

feu m (plural feus)

1. fiefdom, fee

Related terms

• feudal

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

feu

Further reading

• “feu” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “feu”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “feu” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “feu” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fø/

• audio:

  (file)

• (verlan) IPA^(key): /fø/, /fø/, /fœ.ø/

Etymology 1

From Old French fu, from Latin focus (“hearth”), which in Late and Vulgar Latin replaced the Classical Latin ignis (“fire”).

Noun

feu m (plural feux)

1. fire
2. (cigarette) lighter
3. traffic light
   • 1999, Patrick Lemaire, Psychologie cognitive

     « Si le feu est vert, je passe » — If the light is green, I go

     « Si le feu est rouge, je m'arrête » — If the light is red, I stop

Derived terms

• à plein feux
• allume-feu
• arme à feu
• cessez-le-feu
• coup de feu
• coupe-feu
• cure-feu
• en feu
• faire feu
• feu de Bengale
• feu de peloton
• feu de salve
• feu d’artifice
• feu rouge
• feu roulant
• feutier
• garde-feu
• jette-feu
• jouer avec le feu
• n’y voir que du feu
• ouvrir le feu
• pare-feu
• pique-feu
• pot-au-feu
• pousser le feu
• prendre feu
• serre-feu
• tire-feu
• toc-feu
• toque-feu

 

Related terms

• foyer
• fouace
• fougasse

Etymology 2

From Old French feüz, fadude (“one who has accomplished his destiny”), from Vulgar Latin *fatutus, from Latin fatum (“destiny”).

Adjective

feu (feminine feue, masculine plural feus, feminine plural feues)

1. deceased, the late

   Elle était la sœur de feu Jean Dupont

Further reading

• “feu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Middle English

Determiner

feu

1. Alternative form of fewe

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French fu.

Noun

feu m (plural feux)

1. fire

Descendants

• French: feu

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Norman

Etymology

From Old French feu, from Latin focus (“hearth”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Jersey):

  (file)

Noun

feu m (plural feux)

1. (Jersey) fire
2. (Jersey, medicine) rash

Derived terms

• coup d'feu (“shot”)
• feu d'jouaie (“bonfire”)
• feu ortcheux (“nettle rash, urticaria”)
• feu sauvage (“cold sore”)
• feux d'artifice (“fireworks”)
• montangne dé feu (“volcano”)
• ni feu ni feunque (“neither fire nor smoke”)
• ni feu ni fouôngne (“neither fire nor baking”)
• pièrre à feu (“flint”)
• saque-feu

 

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Sardinian

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin foedus. Compare Spanish feo.

Adjective

feu

1. (Campidanese) dirty

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Scots

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fjuː]

Noun

feu (plural feus)

1. feud, tenure, piece of land held by that tenure

Verb

feu (third-person singular simple present feus, present participle feuin, simple past feuit, past participle feuit)

1. to grant or hold land by tenure

Derived terms

• feuar (“one who holds land in feu”)

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Walloon

Etymology

From Latin focus.

Noun

feu ?

1. fire