feax

Old English

Alternative forms

• fæx, fex

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *fahs (“hair, mane”). Cognate with Old Frisian fax, Old Saxon fahs, Old High German fahs, Old Norse fax.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fæ͜ɑks/

Noun

feax n

1. hair (on the head)
   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     Hē hæfde blæc feax, blācne andwlitan, and medmiċele nose þynne.

     He had black hair, a pale face, and a small, thin nose.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Clement the Martyr"

     Þā sē enġel ġelǣhte hine be þām feaxe and hine bær tō Babylōne.

     Then the angel grabbed him by the hair and carried him to Babylon.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St. Alban, Martyr"

     Hē rād ðā on his mule mid mycelre fyrde þurh ǣnne hēahne holt mid hetelīcum ġeþance; þā ġefeng hine ān trēow be ðām fexe sona forþan þe hē wæs sīdfæxede and hē swā hangode, and sē mul arn forð fram þām ārlēasan hlāford and Dauides þeġnas hine þurhðydon.

     Then he rode on his mule with a great army through a high wood, with hostile intention; then speedily a tree caught him by the hair, because be was long-haired, and he hanged so, and the mule ran forward from the wicked lord, and David's thanes pierced him through.

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	feax	feax
accusative	feax	feax
genitive	feaxes	feaxa
dative	feaxe	feaxum

Derived terms

• ġefeaxe
• ġefeaxen
• gyldenfeaxa

Descendants

• Middle English: fax, fex, væx, vax
  • English: fax
  • Scots: fax
  • ⇒ Middle English: fayre fax, fare fax
    • English: Fairfax