Of English dialectal origin. Further origin obscure. Possibly from Old English gefæd (compare Old English gefæd, fadian, ġefadian, whence Middle English faden); or from French fadaise "a trifling thought"; see fadaise.

• IPA: /fæd/

fad (plural fads)

1. A phenomenon that becomes popular for a very short time.
   • 2004, Andre R. Young, “Encore”, in Encore:

     You're a fad, that means you're something that we've already had, but once you're gone, you don't come back.

• French: mode, lubie
• German: Mode, Trend, Modeerscheinung, Fimmel
• Italian: moda, andazzo, tendenza
• Portuguese: moda
• Russian: причу́да
• Spanish: moda, moda pasajera

fad (uncountable)

1. (biochemistry) Initialism of flavin adenine dinucleotide