Fete (fēt) noun [ See feat .] A feat. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fete noun plural [ See Foot .] Feet. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fête (fat) noun [ French See Feast .] A festival.

Fête champêtre [ French], a festival or entertainment in the open air; a rural festival.

Fête transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fêted ; present participle & verbal noun Fêting .] [ Confer French fêter .] To feast; to honor with a festival.

Fetich, Fetish noun [ French fétiche , from Portuguese feitiço , adj., noun , sorcery, charm, from Latin facticius made by art, artifical, factitious. See Factitious .]
1. A material object supposed among certain African tribes to represent in such a way, or to be so connected with, a supernatural being, that the possession of it gives to the possessor power to control that being.

2. Any object to which one is excessively devoted.

fetichism, Fetishism noun [ Confer French fétichisme .] [ Written also feticism .]
1. The doctrine or practice of belief in fetiches.

2. Excessive devotion to one object or one idea; abject superstition; blind adoration.

The real and absolute worship of fire falls into two great divisions, the first belonging rather to fetichism , the second to polytheism proper.

Tylor.

Fetichist, Fetishist noun A believer in fetiches.

He was by nature a fetichist .

H. Holbeach.

Fetichistic, Fetishistic adjective Pertaining to, or involving, fetichism.

A man of the fifteenth century, inheriting its strange web of belief and unbelief, of epicurean levity and fetichistic dread.

G. Eliot.

Feticide noun [ Written also fœticide .] [ Fetus + Latin caedere to kill.] (Med. & Law) The act of killing the fetus in the womb; the offense of procuring an abortion.

Feticism noun See Fetichism .

Fetid adjective [ Latin fetidus , foetidus , from fetere , foetere , to have an ill smell, to stink: confer French fétide .] Having an offensive smell; stinking.

Most putrefactions . . . smell either fetid or moldy.

Bacon.

Fetidity noun Fetidness.

Fetidness noun The quality or state of being fetid.

Fetiferous adjective [ Fetus + -ferous .] Producing young, as animals.

Fetis adjective [ Old French fetis , faitis . Confer Factitious .] Neat; pretty; well made; graceful. [ Obsolete]

Full fetis was her cloak, as I was ware.

Chaucer.

Fetisely adverb Neatly; gracefully; properly. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fetish noun , Fe"tish*ism (... or ...; 277) noun , Fe`tish*is"tic adjective See Fetich , noun , Fetichism , noun , Fetichistic , adjective

Fetlock noun [ Middle English fetlak , fitlock , confer Icelandic fet pace, step, fit webbed foot of water birds, akin to English foot . √77. See Foot .] The cushionlike projection, bearing a tuft of long hair, on the back side of the leg above the hoof of the horse and similar animals. Also, the joint of the limb at this point (between the great pastern bone and the metacarpus), or the tuft of hair.

Their wounded steeds
Fret fetlock deep in gore.

Shak.

Fetor noun [ Latin fetor , foetor . See Fetid .] A strong, offensive smell; stench; fetidness. Arbuthnot.

Fette transitive verb [ imperfect Fette , past participle Fet .] [ See Fet , transitive verb ] To fetch. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Fetter (fĕt"tẽr) noun [ Anglo-Saxon fetor , feter ; akin to Old Saxon feterōs , plural, OD. veter , Old High German fezzera , Icelandic fjöturr , Latin pedica , Greek pe`dh , and to English foot . √ 77. See Foot .] [ Chiefly used in the plural, fetters .]
1. A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle.

[ They] bound him with fetters of brass.

Judg. xvi. 21.

2. Anything that confines or restrains; a restraint.

Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.

Dryden.

Fetter transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fettered ; present participle & verbal noun Fettering .]
1. To put fetters upon; to shackle or confine the feet of with a chain; to bind.

My heels are fettered , but my fist is free.

Milton.

2. To restrain from motion; to impose restraints on; to confine; to enchain; as, fettered by obligations.

My conscience! thou art fettered
More than my shanks and wrists.

Shak.

Fettered adjective (Zoology) Seeming as if fettered, as the feet of certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.

Fetterer noun One who fetters. Landor.

Fetterless adjective Free from fetters. Marston.

Fettle transitive verb [ Middle English & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle , noun , order, repair, preparation, dress; probably akin to English fit . See Fit , adjective ]
1. To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [ Prov. Eng.] Carlyle.

2. (Metal.) To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.

Fettle intransitive verb To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. [ Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

Fettle noun The act of fettling. [ Prov. Eng.] Wright.

In fine fettle , in good spirits.

Fettling noun
1. (Metal.) A mixture of ore, cinders, etc., used to line the hearth of a puddling furnace. [ Eng.] [ It is commonly called fix in the United States.]

2. (Pottery) The operation of shaving or smoothing the surface of undried clay ware.

Fetuous adjective Neat; feat. [ Obsolete] Herrick.

Fetus noun ; plural Fetuses . [ Latin fetus , foetus , a bringing forth, brood, offspring, young ones, confer fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled with young; akin to English fawn a deer, fecundity , felicity , feminine , female , and probably to do , or according to others, to be .] The young or embryo of an animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [ Written also fœtus .]

Fetwah noun [ Arabic ] A written decision of a Turkish mufti on some point of law. Whitworth.

Feu noun [ See 2d Feud , and Fee .] (Scots Law) A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money. Burrill.

Feu de joie [ French, lit., fire of joy.] A fire kindled in a public place in token of joy; a bonfire; a firing of guns in token of joy.

Feuar noun [ From Feu.] (Scots Law) One who holds a feu. Sir W. Scott.

Feud (fūd) noun [ Middle English feide , Anglo-Saxon fǣhð , from fāh hostile; akin to Old High German fēhida , German fehde , Swedish fejd , Dutch feide ; probably akin to English fiend . See Foe.]
1. A combination of kindred to avenge injuries or affronts, done or offered to any of their blood, on the offender and all his race.

2. A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed.

Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds.

Purchas.

Syn. -- Affray; fray; broil; contest; dispute; strife.

Feud noun [ Late Latin feudum , feodum probably of same origin as English fief . See Fief , Fee .] (Law) A stipendiary estate in land, held of superior, by service; the right which a vassal or tenant had to the lands or other immovable thing of his lord, to use the same and take the profists thereof hereditarily, rendering to his superior such duties and services as belong to military tenure, etc., the property of the soil always remaining in the lord or superior; a fief; a fee.

Feudal adjective [ French féodal , or Late Latin feudalis .]
1. Of or pertaining to feuds, fiefs, or feels; as, feudal rights or services; feudal tenures.

2. Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military services; as, the feudal system.

Feudalism noun [ Confer French féodalisme .] The feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the kind or feudal superior; feudal principles and usages.

Feudalist noun An upholder of feudalism.

Feudality noun [ Confer French féodalité .] The state or quality of being feudal; feudal form or constitution. Burke.

Feudalization noun The act of reducing to feudal tenure.

Feudalize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Feudalized ; present participle & verbal noun Feudalizing .] To reduce to a feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.

Feudally adverb In a feudal manner.

Feudary adjective [ Late Latin feudarius , from feudum . See 2d Feud .] Held by, or pertaining to, feudal tenure.

Feudary noun
1. A tenant who holds his lands by feudal service; a feudatory. Foxe.

2. A feodary. See Feodary .

Feudatary adjective & noun [ Late Latin feudatarius : confer French feudataire .] See Feudatory .

Feudatory noun ; plural Feudatories A tenant or vassal who held his lands of a superior on condition of feudal service; the tenant of a feud or fief.

The grantee . . . was styled the feudatory or vassal.

Blackstone.

[ He] had for feudatories great princes.

J. H. Newman.

Feudatory adjective Held from another on some conditional tenure; as, a feudatory title. Bacon.

Feudist noun [ Confer French feudiste .] A writer on feuds; a person versed in feudal law. Spelman.

Feuillants noun plural A reformed branch of the Bernardines, founded in 1577 at Feuillans , near Toulouse, in France.