What does fett mean?
"Fett" is not a standard word in modern English dictionaries; readers who meet it are almost certainly looking at German, where "fett" means fat or grease, whether as a cooking ingredient, a dietary substance, or, colloquially, something rich or excessive. The word belongs to the same Germanic family as English "fat," both descending from a common ancestor rather than one being borrowed from the other. Its main footprint in English is indirect: Italian "fettuccine," the ribbon pasta, derives from "fetta" meaning slice or strip, a related Romance thread, and German-derived terms occasionally appear in specialized food and technical writing. Because "fett" can be mistaken for a misspelling of the English festival word "fet," writers using it outside German contexts should make its language and meaning clear.
nounDefinition pending review.
"The recipe calls for a small amount of fett, the German word for fat."
"In German cookbooks, fett simply means fat."
"The word fett turns up in English mainly in loanwords like fettuccine, literally 'little ribbons' of pasta."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fett
"Fett" is the ordinary German word for fat, descending from Old High German "fezzit," which shares a common Germanic root with the English word "fat." It is therefore a true cognate of "fat" rather than an English borrowing. A visually similar but distinct line runs through Italian "fetta" (slice), the source of culinary terms like fettuccine.
How fett is actually used
"Fett" is not an established entry in standard English dictionaries. Learners are most likely to encounter it as the German word for fat or grease, or within loanwords derived from Germanic and Romance roots.
Easily confused with fett
"Fet" is a separate English word meaning a festival or feast, while "fett" is the German word for fat and is not a standard English dictionary entry.