First published 1895; not yet revised
fataladjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective fatal mean?
There are 11 meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective fatal, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the adjective fatal?
About 10occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 52 |
| 1760 | 57 |
| 1770 | 67 |
| 1780 | 68 |
| 1790 | 62 |
| 1800 | 58 |
| 1810 | 53 |
| 1820 | 51 |
| 1830 | 48 |
| 1840 | 47 |
| 1850 | 48 |
| 1860 | 47 |
| 1870 | 43 |
| 1880 | 42 |
| 1890 | 37 |
| 1900 | 33 |
| 1910 | 27 |
| 1920 | 22 |
| 1930 | 19 |
| 1940 | 18 |
| 1950 | 15 |
| 1960 | 15 |
| 1970 | 13 |
| 1980 | 11 |
| 1990 | 10 |
| 2000 | 11 |
| 2010 | 11 |
How is the adjective fatal pronounced?
British English
/ˈfeɪtl/
FAY-tuhl
U.S. English
/ˈfeɪd(ə)l/
FAY-duhl
Where does the adjective fatal come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the adjective fatal is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for fatal is from around 1374, in the writing of Geoffrey Chaucer, poet and administrator.
fatal is a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: Latin fātālis.
Nearby entries
- fastuousness, n.1649–
- fast wall, n.1849–1920
- fast week, n.1610–
- fast worker, n.1917–
- fasure, n.c1400–
- fat, n.¹Old English–1866
- fat, n.³1832–
- fat, adj. & n.²Old English–
- fat, v.Old English–
- Fatah, n.1966–
- fatal, adj.c1374–
- fatalism, n.1678–
- fatalist, n. & adj.1650–
- fatalistic, adj.1832–
- fatalistically, adv.1856–
- fatality, n.1490–
- fatalize, v.1836–
- fatally, adv.1574–
- fatalness, n.a1639–
- fata Morgana, n.1818–
- fatary, n.1652
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for fatal, adj.
fatal, adj. was first published in 1895; not yet revised.
fatal, adj. was last modified in December 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into fatal, adj. in December 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1895)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for fatal, adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- fastuousness, n.1649–
- fast wall, n.1849–1920
- fast week, n.1610–
- fast worker, n.1917–
- fasure, n.c1400–
- fat, n.¹Old English–1866
- fat, n.³1832–
- fat, adj. & n.²Old English–
- fat, v.Old English–
- Fatah, n.1966–
- fatal, adj.c1374–
- fatalism, n.1678–
- fatalist, n. & adj.1650–
- fatalistic, adj.1832–
- fatalistically, adv.1856–
- fatality, n.1490–
- fatalize, v.1836–
- fatally, adv.1574–
- fatalness, n.a1639–
- fata Morgana, n.1818–
- fatary, n.1652
