fickle
See also: Fickle
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English fikil, fikel, from Old English ficol (“fickle, cunning, tricky, deceitful”), equivalent to fike + -le. More at fike.
AdjectiveEdit
fickle (comparative fickler or more fickle, superlative ficklest or most fickle)
- Quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable.
- c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene v], page 69:
- O Fortune, Fortune, all men call thee fickle, / If thou art fickle, what doſt thou with him / That is renown'd for faith? be fickle Fortune: / For then I hope thou wilt not keepe him long, / But ſend him backe.
- 2010, James Murphy (lyrics and music), “Home”, in This Is Happening, performed by LCD Soundsystem:
- As night has such a local ring / And love and rock are fickle things
- (figuratively) Changeable.
- 2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)[1]
- To the south, the vast geometrical deserts of Arabian nomads, a redoubt of feral movement, of fickle winds, of open space, of saddle leather—home to the wild Bedouin tribes.
- 2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)[1]
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
changeable
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Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English fikelen, from fikel (“fickle”); see above. Cognate with Low German fikkelen (“to deceive, flatter”), German ficklen, ficheln (“to deceive, flatter”).
VerbEdit
fickle (third-person singular simple present fickles, present participle fickling, simple past and past participle fickled)
- (transitive) To deceive, flatter.
- (transitive, Britain dialectal) To puzzle, perplex, nonplus.