fade

Etymology 1

From Middle English fade, vad, vade (“faded, pale, withered, weak”), from Middle Dutch vade (“weak, faint, limp”), from Old French fade (“weak, witless”), of obscure origin. Probably from Vulgar Latin *fatidus, from Latin fatuus (“insipid”).

adj

1. (archaic) Weak; insipid; tasteless.
   1825, Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey, review of Theodric by Thomas Campbell Passages that are somewhat fade.
   His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous. 1827, Thomas De Quincey, “The Last Days of Kant”, in Blackwood's Magazine

noun

1. (golf) A golf shot that curves intentionally to the player's right (if they are right-handed) or to the left (if left-handed).
   If you confine yourself to hitting straight shots while you are developing your golf swing, you are less likely to develop a preference for hitting a fade or a draw. 2011, James Lythgoe, The Golf Swing: It's all in the hands, page 88
2. A haircut where the hair is short or shaved on the sides of the head and longer on top. See also high-top fade and low fade.
3. (slang) A fight.
4. (music, cinematography) A gradual decrease in the brightness of a shot or the volume of sound or music (as a means of cutting to a new scene or starting a new song).
5. (slang) The act of disappearing from a place so as not to be found; covert departure.
   Ace could have done a fade. Instead, he gathered all his courage — which was not inconsiderable, even in his middle age — and went to see the Flying Corson Brothers. 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things

verb

1. (transitive, golf) To hit the ball with the shot called a fade.
   The Golden Bear faded the ball from left to right with great consistency, so he seldom had to worry about trouble on the left. 2011, Gary McCord, Golf For Dummies, page 284
2. (intransitive) To grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant.
3. (intransitive) To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color.
   The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess
4. (intransitive) To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish.
   The milkman's whistling faded into the distance.
   1856, Eleanor Marx-Aveling (translator), Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter XI, A strange thing was that Bovary, while continually thinking of Emma, was forgetting her. He grew desperate as he felt this image fading from his memory in spite of all efforts to retain it. Yet every night he dreamt of her; it was always the same dream. He drew near her, but when he was about to clasp her she fell into decay in his arms.
   And with that, I think we'll leave 2021's tail lamp to fade into the distance. December 29 2021, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Problems galore in 2021...”, in RAIL, number 947, page 3
5. (transitive) To cause to fade.
6. (transitive, gambling) To bet against (someone).
   I tried to get some bets that y'all were fixin' to get married but nobody would fade me. 2016, Johnny Hughes, A Texas Beauty, Smart and Strong

Etymology 2

From Middle English fade, fede, of uncertain origin. Compare Old English ġefæd (“orderly, tidy, discreet, well-regulated”). See also fad.

adj

1. (archaic) Strong; bold; doughty.