ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fain

adj.
US //ˈfeɪn// UK //fˈeɪn// fain Archaic Dialect Literary
Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English fain (“enjoyable, pleasing; fond of; glad, pleased; good, suitable; happy, joyful”), from Old English fægen (“happy, joyful, fain”), from Proto-West Germanic fagan (“glad”), from Proto-Germanic faganaz (“glad”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“joyful; pretty”). Cognates * Old Norse fagna (“to rejoice”), feginn (“glad, joyful”) * Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (faginōn, “to rejoice”) * Old High German fehan, gifehan (“to rejoice”) * Old Saxon fagan, fagin

Etymology 2

From Middle English fain (“eagerly, willingly; gladly, joyfully”), from fain (adjective): see etymology 1.

Etymology 3

From Middle English fainen (“to be glad or joyful, rejoice; to make happy, gladden; to welcome; of an animal: to show happiness, as by wagging the tail; to act fawningly or flatteringly”), from Old English fæġnian (“to be glad, rejoice; to celebrate; to be delighted with, applaud; to wish for”), from Proto-West Germanic faginōn (“to be glad, rejoice; to make glad, gladden”), from Proto-Germanic faginōną (“to be glad, rejoice”), from *faganaz (“glad”): see further at etymology 1. Doublet of fawn.

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