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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

fess en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /fɛs/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Clipping of confess.

Meanings

  1. To confess; to admit.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
fessing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
'fess alternative lexicographic
fesses Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
fessed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
fessed Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

fess up

fess en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /fɛs/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English fesse, from Old French fesse, an alteration of faisse, from Latin fascia. Cognate with fajita, fascia, and fascism.

Meanings

  1. A horizontal band across the middle of the shield.
    • The space where the arms of Wolsey used to be is being repainted with his own newly granted arms: azure, on a fess between three lions rampant or, a rose gules, barbed vert, between two Cornish choughs proper. 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 420:
    • Lord Robert Walsingham de Vere St. Simon, second son of the Duke of Balmoral—Hum! Arms: Azure, three caltrops in chief over a fess sable. 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, Norton, published 2005, page 294:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
fesse alternative lexicographic
fesses Number=Plur lexicographic
feese alternative lexicographic

Coordinates

bar · barrulet · closet

Deriveds

per fess · fessways · fesswise · fess point

Hypernyms

ordinary

Translations (16)

cs břevno (band) · ca faixa (band) · de Leiste (band) · es faja (band) · af balk (band) · nl faas (band) · fr fasce (band) · it fascia (band) · fi hirsi (band) · pt faixa (band) · ro fașă (band) · de Balken (fess) (band) · pl pas (band) · sv bjälke (band) · gl faixa (band) · hu pólya (band)

fess en · ADJ · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • /fɛs/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

  1. (UK, dialectal) Proud; conceited.
    • Y'll be fess enough, my poppet, when th'st know!" 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 32:
  2. (UK, dialectal) Lively; active; strong.
  3. (UK, dialectal) Of animals, bad-tempered, fierce.