NYT Dictionary

FAME

/feɪm/
NounVerbFAYMGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025

Meaning

Something said or reported; gossip, rumour.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂meh₂ Proto-Italic *fāmā Latin fāmabor. Old French famebor. Middle English fame English fame From Middle English fame, from Old French fame (“celebrity, renown”), itself borrowed from Latin fāma (“talk, rumor, report, reputation”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂-meh₂, from *bʰeh₂- (“to speak, say, tell”). Cognate with Ancient Greek φήμη (phḗmē, “talk”). Related also to Latin for (“speak, say”, verb), Old English bōian (“to boast”), Old English bēn (“prayer, request”), Old English bannan (“to summon, command, proclaim”). More at ban. Displaced native Old English hlīsa.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

famousnesscelebrityrenownacclaimballyhooblurbcharacterconsequencecrediblecry

Antonyms

obscurityunknownnessinfamy

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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