- "Fada" refers to a fool or madman.
- This word is derived from Occitan, a Provençal language.
- It originally meant "touched by fairies".
Have you ever been called a "fada"? Do not take the fly and instead look at the origin of this term, often integrated into the phrase "hey, fada!"
A term from Occitan
Before the public authorities imposed French throughout the country, our beautiful country had several languages – and we are not talking about patois, but languages in their own right. From the Atlantic to Monaco, the southern third of France practiced Occitan, or langue d'oc (which has, moreover, given its name to the Languedoc region). It is from Occitan that the term "fada" comes. Initially, we find the word "fat", which has since been integrated into French. But in some areas, "fat" became "fadat" before losing its "t".
And so, what is a fada?
The fada is the one that is "touched by fairies", a poetic way of evoking... the village idiot. The fada is therefore stupid, not to say remained. By extension, the word is also used to designate a crazy person or, at least, who behaves as such. Thus, the expression "he is completely bada" readily substitutes for "he is completely crazy". In general, the term is rather used with affection: it is more of a mocking criticism than an insult. In the South, we also speak of being "fada of" in the sense of being "crazy about", therefore "fan of". The fadas of the O.M. will recognize each other...
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