contracted from the French _La fermeté_, from the Lat. _firmitas_ (strength), applied in topography to a stronghold; _e.g._ La Ferté Bernardi (Bernard’s stronghold); Ferté-freshal, from _Firmitas Fraxinelli_ (the stronghold of little ash-trees); La Ferté, in Nièvre and in Jura, etc. [Sidenote: FESTE (Ger.), VESTING (Dutch), FAESTUNG (Scand.),] a fortress; _e.g._ Altefeste (high fortress); Franzenfeste (the fortress of the Franks); Festenburg (the town of the fortress); Ivanich-festung (John’s fortress), in Croatia. [Sidenote: FEUCHT (Ger.), VOICHTIG (Dutch),] moist, marshy; _e.g._ Feuchtwang (the marshy field), in Bavaria, formerly called _Hudropolis_, in Greek, with the same meaning; Feucht (the damp place), also in Bavaria; Viecht-gross and Viecht-klein (the great and little damp place), in Bavaria. [Sidenote: LES FÈVES (Fr.),] beans, Lat. _faba_, from which come such places in France as La Favière, Favières, Faverage, Favray, Faverelles, etc. [Sidenote: FICHTE (Ger.),] the pine-tree; _e.g._ Schoenfichten (the beautiful pine-trees); Finsterfechten (the dark pine-trees); Fichthorst (pine-wood); Feichheim (a dwelling among pines). In topography, however, it is difficult to distinguish this word from _feucht_ (damp). [Sidenote: FIN, FIONN (Gadhelic),] fair, white, Welsh _gwynn_; _e.g._ Findrum (white ridge); _Fionn-uisge_ (the clear water). The Phœnix Park, in Dublin, was so called from a beautiful spring well on the grounds; Findlater (the fair slope, _leiter_); Fingart (fair field); Finnow, Finnan, and Finglass (fair stream); Finglen (fair glen); Knockfin (fair hill); Loch Fyne (clear or beautiful lake); Fintray, in Aberdeenshire; Fintry, in Stirling (fair strand, _traigh_); Ventry, Co. Kerry, _i.e._ _Fionn-traigh_ (fair strand); Finnow (the fair stream). [Sidenote: FIORD, or FJORD (Scand.),] a creek or inlet formed by an arm of the sea, Anglicised _ford_, or in Scotland _firth_; _e.g._ Selfiord (herring creek); Laxfiord (salmon creek); Hvalfiord (whale creek); Lymefiord (muddy creek); Skagafiord (the inlet of the promontory, _skagi_); Halsfiord (the bay of the neck or _hals_, _i.e._ the narrow passage); Waterford, named by the Danes _Vadre-fiord_ (the fordable part of the bay)--the Irish name of the town was _Port-lairge_ (the port of the thigh), from its form; Wexford (the western creek or inlet), also named by the Danes _Flekkefiord_ (the flat inlet)--its Irish name was _Inverslanie_ (at the mouth of the Slaney); Strangford Lough (_i.e._ the loch of the strong _fiord_); Carlingford, in Irish _Caerlinn_, the _fiord_ having been added by the Danes; Vaeringefiord, in Norway (the inlet of the Varangians or Warings); Breidafiord (broad inlet), in Ireland; Haverford, probably from Scand. _havre_ (oats). [Sidenote: FLECKE (Teut. and Scand.),]