fixe

Fixe is a term that appears primarily as a French adjective and in loaned phrases rather than as a widely used standalone word in English. Its etymology traces to the Latin fixus, meaning fastened or attached, and it entered French with the sense of being fixed, settled, or immobile.

In French, fixe is used in a variety of compound expressions to denote permanence or immobility. One of the most common loan phrases in English-speaking contexts is prix fixe, meaning a fixed-price menu offered at restaurants. The hyphenation of prix fixe varies by style guide, with prix-fixe also seen. In mathematical or philosophical contexts, the French term point fixe translates to “fixed point” in English, and is used in bilingual or translated texts.

Outside these contexts, the standalone English usage of fixe is rare. When encountered, it is typically as a loanword within bilingual writing or in references to the French language itself. In English-language contexts, the concepts conveyed by fixe are usually expressed with the standard English terms fixed, fixed-price, or fixed-point.

Fixe can also occur as a surname, and may appear in proper names of people or places. In such cases, its meaning follows the linguistic origin of the name rather than a general semantic usage.

Overall, fixe functions mainly as a French adjective embedded in phrases that describe fixedness, with its most recognizable English usage arising from culinary terminology (prix fixe) and occasional bilingual mathematical language.