Obs. Forms: 1 fioh, féo, 1–3 feoh, 3–4 feo, 3 south. veo, 2–3 feh, 2 Orm. fehh, 2–6 fe, (3 fæi, feih), 5–7 fie, (6 Sc. fye), 3–7 fee. [Common Teut. and Aryan: OE. feoh, fioh, féo, str. neut., corresp. to OFris. fia, OS. fehu cattle, property (Du. vee cattle), OHG. fihu, fehu cattle, property, money (MHG. vihe, vehe, and mod.Ger. vieh has only the sense cattle), ON. fé cattle, property, money (Da. fæ cattle, beast, Sw. fä beast), Goth. faihu property, money:—OTeut. *fehu:—O Aryan *péku-, whence also Skr. paçu masc., L. pecū neut. cattle (cf. L. pecūnia money).]

1

  1.  Live stock, cattle, whether large or small. Wild fee: deer.

2

c. 900.  K. Ælfred, Laws, xlii. Gif þe becume oðres monnes ȝiemeleas fioh on hand … ȝecyðe hit him.

3

c. 1000.  Salomon & Sat., 23 (Gr.). Feoh butan ȝewitte.

4

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 783.

        Ðo sente he after abram
And bi-tagte he him if leman,
And gaf him lond, and aȝte, and fe.

5

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 1059 (Cott.).

        Þis abel was a hird for fee,
Selcuth hali man was he.

6

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, X. 150.

        In the cuntre thar vonnyt ane
That husband ves, and vith his fee
Oftsis hay to the peill led he.

7

c. 1450.  Henryson, Mor. Fab., 80.

        Bot than, God wait, the keipar of the fe
For verray wo woxe wanner nor the weid.

8

a. 1500[?].  True Thomas, 67, in Jamieson, Pop. Ballads (1806), II. 15.

        But I am a lady of another cuntre,
  If I be pareld moost of price;
I ride after the wilde fee;
  My raches rennen at my devys.

9

1535.  Stewart, Cron. Scot., III. 343. Distroyit war all bowis, flokis and fie.

10

  2.  Movable property in general; goods, possessions, wealth.

11

c. 888.  K. Ælfred, Boeth., xiv. § 2. Þa unȝesceadwisan neotena ne wilniaþ nanes oþres feos.

12

c. 1000.  Ags. Ps. cviii. [cix.], 11. His feoh onfon fremde handa.

13

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 109. Þe feorðe unþeu is þet þe riche mon … bihude his feh.

14

c. 1205.  Lay., 4429. Þe king him ȝette … feoh & færde.

15

c. 1275.  A Luue Ron, 70, in O. E. Misc., 95.

        Ector wiþ his scharpe meyne
  and cesar riche of worries feo.

16

c. 1330.  Arth. & Merl., 415.

        Letters he made to Angys the welp,
And bad he schuld cum him to help
Ogaines his men that wald him sle,
And he schuld haue half his fe.

17

c. 1460.  Towneley Myst., 28.

        Do get in oure gere, oure catalle and fe,
In to this vesselle here, my chylder fre.

18

1526.  Skelton, Magnyf., 1993. Alasse, where is nowe my golde and fe?

19

1596.  Drayton, Legends, iv. 74. Whose labour’d Anvile only was His Fee.

20

  3.  Money.

21

Beowulf, 1380. Ic þe þa fæhðe feo leaniȝe.

22

c. 870.  Codex Aureus, 5, in O. E. Texts (1885), 175. Mid uncre claene feo.

23

c. 900.  Bæda’s Eccl. Hist., III. xiv. [xix.] (1891), 216. Forðon ȝif þu þisses monnes fea [pecunia] in his synnum deades ne onfenge, ne burne his wiite on þe.

24

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Matt. x. 9. Næbbe ȝe gold ne seolfer ne feoh on eowrum bigyrdlum.

25

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 91. Þa … salden heore ehte and þet feh bitahten þam apostles.

26

c. 1200.  Ormin, 15968. He selleþþ Haliȝ Gast forr fe.

27

c. 1205.  Lay., 9176. He miðte æt-halden heore feoh þe Julius her fatte.

28

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 326. Vor sunne is þes deofles feih þet he ȝiueð to gauel.

29

a. 1300.  Floriz & Bl., 25.

        Floriz ne let for ne feo
To finden al þat neod beo.

30

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VII. viii. 754.

                  Corrupte was he—
Than wyth be kyng of Inglandis Fe.

31

1677.  The Lovers Quarrel, 29, in Hazl., E. E. P., II. 254.

        God give you good of your gold, she said,
  And ever God give you good of your fee.

32

  4.  Comb. fee-house, (a) in OE., a treasury, (b) a cattle-shed.

33

c. 1000.  Ælfric’s Voc. Sup., in Wr.-Wülcker, 184. Ærarium, feohhus.

34

1483.  Cath. Angl., 125/1. A Feehouse, bostar.

35