Feat and Fact Are the Same Latin Word
A feat is a remarkable achievement. It arrived through French while fact came straight from Latin.
A feat is a remarkable act requiring skill, strength or courage. It is the same Latin word as *fact*: both come from *factum*, a thing done, but *feat* travelled through French and softened, while *fact* was taken straight from Latin centuries later. One doublet ended up meaning an achievement and the other a truth. *Feature* is from the same family, originally meaning the making or form of something.
- A remarkable act. *An impressive feat.*
- A feat of engineering. *A feat of engineering.*
- Fact — the same root. *A fact.*
- Feature — a related word. *A feature.*
- Latin — *factum*, a thing done. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | feat | A feat. |
| Plural | feats | Feats. |
| Related | fact | A fact. |
| Related | feature | A feature. |
| French | fait | A deed. |
- It was a feat of endurance.Achievement.
- A remarkable engineering feat.Construction.
- Feat and fact are doublets.Etymology.
Doublets from Latin and French
- Feat / fact — through French and straight from Latin
- Frail / fragile — the same word, two routes
- Poor / pauper — the same
- Loyal / legal — both from *legalis*
- Ray / radius — the French form and the Latin one
Old French *fait*, a deed, from Latin *factum*, a thing done.
Are feat and fact the same word?
Yes. Both descend from Latin factum. Feat came through French and softened, while fact was borrowed directly later.
What is a doublet?
A pair of words from one source that entered a language by different routes, ending with different forms and meanings.