Old English fær, faru 'travelling, a journey or expedition', faran 'to travel', also 'get on (well or badly'), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch varen and German fahren 'to travel', Old Norse ferja 'ferry boat', also to ford. Sense 1 of the noun stems from an earlier meaning 'a journey for which a price is paid'. Noun sense 2 was originally used with reference to the quality or quantity of food provided, probably from the idea of faring well or badly