gain
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: gān
ipa: /ɡeɪn/
rhymes: -eɪn
Forms: form: gains
Etymology: From Middle English gayn, gain, gein (“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn (“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą (“gain, profit", literally "return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana (“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- (“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”).
Cognate with Icelandic gagn (“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn (“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn (“gain, profit, success”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn (“ready”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna (“to avail, help”), Danish gavne (“to benefit”).
The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain (“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier, gaigner (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waiþanōn (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþō, *waiþijō (“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn (“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide (“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða (“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan (“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wide.
Senses: examples: text: All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles:
And more regarding gaine than victorie:
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
text: the lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain
ref: 1855, Alfred Tennyson, Maude:
text: When power is sought primarily for private gain, the social fabric decays and unravels.
ref: 2023 June 25, Charles Hugh Smith, The Corruption of POTUS, SCOTUS and SCROTUS:
glosses: The act of gaining; acquisition.
examples: text: Everyone shall share in the gains.
ref: c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
glosses: The thing or things gained.
examples: text: There follows the high and low-frequency replay equalization, which normally involves two adjustments with a further control allowing the replay gain to be set.
ref: 1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice, page 238:
topics: business
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
electronics
energy
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
Derived terms: word: autogain
word: brain-gain
word: brain gain
word: capital gain
word: gainful
english: game
translation: game
word: gain-ground
word: gainless
word: gain-of-function
word: gain of function
word: gain-of-function research
word: gainsharing
word: gain-sharing
word: gainside
word: gainsome
word: gain twist
word: gainwise
word: gainword
word: gainworthy
word: line to gain
word: loss and gain are brothers twain
word: maingain
word: no gain without pain
word: one man's loss is another man's gain
word: photogain
word: solar gain
word: time-compensated gain
word: time-gain compensation
word: time-varied gain
word: time-varied gain control
word: weight gain