fickle
/ˈfɪk.əl/
adjective
Origin
Old English
ficol — deceitful, crafty, wily
Overview
Meaning Now
- Changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection.
- Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability.
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
fikel
Earliest period
late 12th century
Journey
The word evolved from an Old English adjective meaning 'deceitful' or 'crafty.' By the Middle English period, this sense of moral unreliability shifted toward the modern sense of personal instability or inconstancy, reflecting an idea that one who is quick to change their mind is not to be trusted.
Evolution
- Old English
ficol
“deceitful, treacherous”
- Middle English
fikel
“inconstant, unreliable”
Semantic shift from 'deceitful' to 'changeable'.
- Early Modern English
fickle
“unsteady, fickle”
Connections
Word parts
fick-
root
deceptive or changing
-le
suffix
adjective-forming suffix
Related across languages
Old Frisian
fikel
deceitful
Middle Low German
vikel
cunning
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Related to fickle
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.