fat
pronunciation
How to pronounce fat in British English:
UK [fæt]
How to pronounce fat in American English:
US [fæt]
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- Noun:
- a soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides)
- a kind of body tissue containing stored fat that serves as a source of energy; adipose tissue also cushions and insulates vital organs
- excess bodily weight
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- Verb:
- make fat or plump
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- Adjective:
- having much flesh (especially fat)
- having a relatively large diameter
- containing or composed of fat
- lucrative
- marked by great fruitfulness
- a chubby body
Word Origin
- fat
- fat: [OE] Fat is one of a large Indo-European family of words denoting the substance ‘fat’ or its consequences in terms of obesity – the probably related Greek pímelē and Latin pinguis, for instance, signified respectively ‘lard’ and ‘fat’. The Germanic members of the family, which include German fett, Dutch vet, and Swedish fet as well as English fat, go back to a prehistoric Germanic *faitaz.
- fat (adj.)
- Old English fætt "fat, fatted, plump, obese," originally a contracted past participle of fættian "to cram, stuff," from Proto-Germanic *faitida "fatted," from verb *faitjan "to fatten," from *faita- "plump, fat" (cognates: Old Frisian fatt, Old Norse feitr, Dutch vet, German feist "fat"), from PIE *poid- "to abound in water, milk, fat, etc." (source also of Greek piduein "to gush forth"), from root *peie- "to be fat, swell" (cognates: Sanskrit payate "swells, exuberates," pituh "juice, sap, resin;" Lithuanian pienas "milk;" Greek pion "fat; wealthy;" Latin pinguis "fat"). Meaning "abounding in comforts, prosperous" is late 14c. Teen slang meaning "attractive, up to date" (also later phat) is attested from 1951. Fat cat "privileged and rich person" is from 1928; fat chance "no chance at all" attested from 1905, perhaps ironic (the expression is found earlier in the sense "good opportunity"). Fathead is from 1842; fat-witted is from 1590s; fatso is first recorded 1943. Expression the fat is in the fire originally meant "the plan has failed" (1560s).
- fat (n.)
- "fat part of anything," mid-14c., from fat (v.). Cognate with Dutch vet, German Fett, Swedish fett, Danish fedt. As a component of animal bodies, 1530s. Figurative sense of "best or most rewarding part" is from 1560s. Expression the fat is in the fire originally meant "the plan has failed" (1560s).
- fat (v.)
- Old English fættian "to become fat, fatten," from the source of fat (adj.). Replaced by fatten except in Biblical fatted calf.
Example
- 1. But the type of fat matters .
- 2. Those drinking soy lost no fat .
- 3. Unsaturated fat is the health iest .
- 4. If you think you 're fat , you probably are .
- 5. He then tries to fire the fat employees .