Fade

How to spell fade

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce fade

What does fade mean?

1. verbTo gradually grow fainter, dimmer, or weaker until barely present.
2. nounA gradual transition or weakening, such as in sound, light, or a tapered haircut.

Fade in a sentence

• verb

  Cheap dye will fade after only a few washes.

• noun

  The song ends on a slow fade rather than a sharp stop.

• verb

  The daylight began to fade as the storm moved in.

• noun

  The barber gave him a tidy fade along the sides.

Where does fade come from?

Language of origin: French

This word reached English in the late 1300s from the Old French verb fader, meaning to wilt, grow pale, or lose vigour, which came from the adjective fade, meaning pale, weak, or insipid. The French adjective is usually traced to a Vulgar Latin form fatidus, thought to be a blend of two Latin words: fatuus, meaning foolish or tasteless, and vapidus, meaning flat or spiritless (the same root that gives us vapid). The early English sense was very much about a flower losing its freshness or a colour growing dull, and only later did it broaden to sounds, memories, and images gradually weakening. Because the word is so short and follows the regular silent-e pattern of made and grade, it rarely trips up adult spellers. Its quiet origin in the idea of something pale and lifeless still fits the modern meaning of slowly disappearing.

How the word is built

• fade (single root from Old French fader: to wilt, lose colour)