Navigation
Home
Resources
Irregular verbs quizzes English conjugator English-French dictionary French dictionary English dictionary Monolingual dictionaries Scores by institution Free sample tests FAQ Pricing Tourism training Blog Videos
Login Sign up
Blog
Videos
Pricing
FR EN

fee

noun, verb — 11 senses

fee

noun

/fiː/

Etymology

From Middle English fee, fe, feh, feoh, from Old English feoh (“cattle, property, wealth, money, payment, tribute, fee”) with contamination from Old French fieu, fief (from Medieval Latin fevum, a variant of feudum (see feud), from Frankish *fehu (“cattle, livestock”); whence fief), both from Proto-Germanic *fehu (“cattle, sheep, livestock, owndom”), from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“livestock”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Fäi (“cattle, livestock”), West Frisian fee (“livestock”), Cimbrian biighe, viighe (“animal, beast”), Dutch vee (“cattle, livestock”), German Viech (“animal, beast”), Vieh (“livestock”), German Low German Veeh (“cattle, livestock, property”), Luxembourgish Véi (“cattle”), Vilamovian fi, fī, fii, fiih (“cattle, livestock”), Yiddish פֿי (fi), פֿיך (fikh, “cattle, livestock”), Danish and Faroese fæ (“cattle, livestock”), Icelandic fé (“assets, livestock, money”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk fe (“cattle, livestock”), Swedish fä (“beast, cattle, dolt”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍉 (faihō), 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu, “possessions, property; riches, wealth; money”); also Latin pecū (“cattle”), Old Prussian pecku (“cattle”), Armenian ասր (asr, “fleece, wool”), Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬎 (pasu, “livestock”), Bactrian ποσο (poso, “sheep”), Central Kurdish پەز (pez, “sheep”), Northern Kurdish pez (“sheep”), Ossetian фыс (fys, “sheep”), Talysh pəs, пәс (“sheep”), Sanskrit पशु (paśu, “cattle”).

10 senses
  1. 1An amount charged for a privilege.
  2. 2An amount charged for professional services.
  3. 3An additional monetary payment charged for a service or…
  4. 4An inheritable estate in land, whether absolute and…
  5. 5A right to the use of a superior's land as a stipend for…
  6. 6Synonym of fief: the land so held.
  7. 7An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on…
  8. 8Synonym of possession.
  9. 9Money paid or bestowed; payment; emolument.
  10. 10A prize or reward. Only used in the set phrase "A…
1

An amount charged for a privilege.

  • late fee
  • license fee
3 more examples
  • admission fee
  • activation fee
  • service fee
2

An amount charged for professional services.

  • legal fees
  • consulting fees
1 more example
  • Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
3

An additional monetary payment charged for a service or good, especially one that is minor compared to the underlying cost.

4

Law An inheritable estate in land, whether absolute and without limitation to potential heirs (fee simple) or with limitations to particular kinds of heirs (fee tail).

5

Law Historical A right to the use of a superior's land as a stipend for certain services to be performed, typically military service.

6

Law Historical Synonym of fief: the land so held.

7

Law Historical An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of performance of certain services, typically military service.

8

Figuratively, Obsolete Synonym of possession.

  • Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee; And was the safeguard of the west: the worth Of Venice did not fall below her birth, Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty.1807, William Wordsworth, “On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic”, in Poems in Two Volumes:
  • What doth the poor man's son inherit? Stout muscles and a sinewy heart, A hardy frame, a hardier spirit; King of two hands, he does his part In every useful toil and art; A heritage, it seems to me, A king might wish to hold in fee.1844, James Russell Lowell, The Heritage:
2 more examples
  • This England, this sea-lion of the sea, By ignorant demagogues is held in fee, Who love her not: Dear God! is this the land Which bare a triple empire in her hand When Cromwell spake the word Democracy!a. 1881, Oscar Wilde, 'To Milton', in Poems:
  • Cronshaw had told him that the facts of life mattered nothing to him who by the power of fancy held in fee the twin realms of space and time.1915, W.S. Maugham, Of Human Bondage, chapter 121:
9

Obsolete Money paid or bestowed; payment; emolument.

10

Obsolete A prize or reward. Only used in the set phrase "A finder's fee" in Modern English.

  • For though sweet love to conquer glorious bee, / Yet is the paine thereof much greater than the fee.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Derived terms
60 termsabsolute fee simple, advance fee fraud, advance fee scam, alms-fee, amenity fee, attorney's fee, base fee, bullet fee, composition fee, conditional fee, convenience fee, court fee, defeasible fee, destination fee, entry fee, exit fee, facility fee, feeable, feebate, fee-fees, fee fees, fee-for-service, feeless, feepayer, feepaying, fee schedule, fee simple, fee splitting, fee-splitting, fee tail, feevee, filing fee, finder's fee, frank-fee, gas fee, great fee, handling fee, in fee, in-lieu fee, joining fee, junk fee, kill fee, kitchen-fee, knight's fee, kosher fee, late fee, license fee, licensing fee, nonfee, nuisance fee, qualified fee, registration fee, resort fee, service fee, setup fee, stole fee, stole-fee, transfer fee, unfeed, urban fee
Related terms
feoffee, fief

fee

verb
Etymology

From Middle English fee, fe, feh, feoh, from Old English feoh (“cattle, property, wealth, money, payment, tribute, fee”) with contamination from Old French fieu, fief (from Medieval Latin fevum, a variant of feudum (see feud), from Frankish *fehu (“cattle, livestock”); whence fief), both from Proto-Germanic *fehu (“cattle, sheep, livestock, owndom”), from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“livestock”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Fäi (“cattle, livestock”), West Frisian fee (“livestock”), Cimbrian biighe, viighe (“animal, beast”), Dutch vee (“cattle, livestock”), German Viech (“animal, beast”), Vieh (“livestock”), German Low German Veeh (“cattle, livestock, property”), Luxembourgish Véi (“cattle”), Vilamovian fi, fī, fii, fiih (“cattle, livestock”), Yiddish פֿי (fi), פֿיך (fikh, “cattle, livestock”), Danish and Faroese fæ (“cattle, livestock”), Icelandic fé (“assets, livestock, money”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk fe (“cattle, livestock”), Swedish fä (“beast, cattle, dolt”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍉 (faihō), 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿 (faihu, “possessions, property; riches, wealth; money”); also Latin pecū (“cattle”), Old Prussian pecku (“cattle”), Armenian ասր (asr, “fleece, wool”), Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬎 (pasu, “livestock”), Bactrian ποσο (poso, “sheep”), Central Kurdish پەز (pez, “sheep”), Northern Kurdish pez (“sheep”), Ossetian фыс (fys, “sheep”), Talysh pəs, пәс (“sheep”), Sanskrit पशु (paśu, “cattle”).

1

To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.

  • In vain for Hellebore the patient cries / And fees the doctor; but too late is wise1693, John Dryden, “The Third Satire of Aulus Persius Flaccus”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis:
  • There's not a one of them but in his house I keep a servant feed.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
2 more examples
  • We departed the grounds without seeing Marbonna; and previous to vaulting over the picket, feed our pretty guide, after a fashion of our own.1847, Herman Melville, Omoo:
  • It was at a much earlier hour than that which Mrs. Santon had named, that Delwood presented himself, and handsomely feeing the porter who answered his summons, he asked to see Miss Santon […]1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds:
Related terms
fee-faw-fum

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

Learn more