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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English fain, from Old English fægen, from Proto-West Germanic *fagan, from Proto-Germanic *faganaz (“glad”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to make pretty, please oneself”); akin to Old Norse feginn (“glad, joyful”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (faginōn, “to rejoice”), Old Norse fagna (“to rejoice”).
Adjective
fain (comparative more fain, superlative most fain)(archaic)
- Well-pleased, glad.
1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “primum”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVII:Thus Gawayne and Ector abode to gyder
For syre Ector wold not awey til Gawayne were hole
& the good knyȝt Galahad rode so long tyll he came that nyghte to the Castel of Carboneck
& hit befelle hym thus
that he was benyghted in an hermytage
Soo the good man was fayne whan he sawe he was a knyght erraunt- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- Satisfied, contented.
- Eager, willing or inclined to.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 125, column 2:Man and Birds are fayne of climbing high.
1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. , 2nd edition, London: Francis Ashe , →OCLC:To a busy man, temptation is fain to climb up together with his business.
- Obliged or compelled to.
Quotations
1900, Ernest Dowson, To One in Bedlam, lines 9–10:O lamentable brother! if those pity thee,
Am I not fain of all thy lone eyes promise me;
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English fain, fayn, feyn, from the adjective (see above).
Adverb
fain (comparative fainer, superlative fainest)(archaic)
- With joy; gladly.
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 113, column 2:Leonato: I would faine know what you haue to ſay.
1633, John Donne, Holly Sonnets, section XIV:Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth’d unto your enemy
1891, George Du Maurier, Peter Ibbetson:[…] and fain would I inhale it in all its pristine fulness and vigour.
1923, Anthony Ludovici, “The Positive Man and the Positive Woman”, in Woman; A Vindication, London: Constable:As a matter of fact, although Woman means everything to Man’s sexuality, and is the embodiment of all that his reproductive instinct can desire, even when it is at its keenest, Man means very little to Woman. He is, after all, no more than the sparking-plug that sets an elaborate process going, and the brief moment in which his share in her business is accomplished, and the incomplete pleasure it affords her, are ridiculously insignificant when compared with the importance he himself would fain attach to them.
- By will or choice.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 1:Gonzalo: Now would I giue a thouſand furlongs of Sea, for an Acre of barren ground: Long heath, Browne firrs, any thing; the wills aboue be done, but I would faine dye a dry death.
Synonyms
Translations
Etymology 3
From Middle English fainen, from Old English fæġnian, from Proto-West Germanic *faginōn, from Proto-Germanic *faginōną. Doublet of fawn.
Verb
fain (third-person singular simple present fains, present participle faining, simple past and past participle fained)
- (archaic) To be delighted or glad; to rejoice.
- (archaic) To gladden.
- (Germanic paganism) to worship, to celebrate, to offer an oblation which is not sacrificial blót.
Translations
References
Anagrams
Dalmatian
Etymology
From Latin fīnis, fīnem.
Noun
fain m
- end
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English fæġen, from Proto-West Germanic *fagan (“glad”). The adverb is transferred from the adjective.
Pronunciation
Adjective
fain
- joyful, happy
- willing, eager
- pleasing, enjoyable, attractive
- fagen, vain, fawe, fawen, vawe, fein, fane, fayn, fayne, vayn, feyn
Adverb
fain
- gladly, joyfully
- willingly, eagerly
- fayn, faȝe, fawe, fawen, vawe, fene, vain, vayn, vein, veyn, vane, wane
Descendants
References
- “fain, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “fain, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Norman
Etymology
From Old French foin, from earlier fein, from Latin fēnum, from faenum.
Noun
fain m (uncountable)
- (Jersey) hay
Derived terms
Old French
Etymology
From Latin famēs.
Noun
fain oblique singular, f (nominative singular fain)
- hunger
Descendants
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from German fein.
Pronunciation
Adjective
fain m or n (feminine singular faină, masculine plural faini, feminine and neuter plural faine)
- (Transylvania) cool, fine, of good quality
Declension
Romansch
Etymology
From Latin fēnum, from faenum.
Noun
fain m
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) hay
Derived terms
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan) fanar
Siar-Lak
Noun
fain
- woman
Further reading
- Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)