One of my correspondents asked me today whether I knew of any suitable translations of the English word fey, which has a number of meanings, including:
– Having or displaying an otherworldly, magical, or fairy-like aspect or quality
– Having visionary power; clairvoyant
– Appearing touched or crazy, as if under a spell
In Scots, it also means:
– Fated to die soon.
– Full of the sense of approaching death.
It comes from the Middle English feie, fated to die, from Old English fǣge.
Source: The Free Dictionary
I found some translations in other languages on Answers.com, though none of them mean quite the same thing as the English word.
I also found the lovely Welsh word, mympwyol, which means arbitrary, capricious, faddy, quixotic or whimsical.
Can you think of any equivalent words in other languages for fey?
