fain
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /feɪn/
homophone: fane
homophone: feign
homophone: foehn
rhymes: -eɪn
Forms: form: more fain
form: most fain
form: faine
Etymology: 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
Senses: examples: text: VVhat is the truſt or ſtrength of fooliſh man? / They that of late vvere daring vvith their ſcoffes, / Are glad and faine by flight to ſaue themſelues.
ref: 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], page 108, column 1:
text: The cantie, auld folks, crackin crouſe, / The young ones ranting thro' the houſe— / My heart has been ſae fain to ſee them, / That I for joy hae barkit vvi' them.
ref: 1786, Robert Burns, “The Twa Dogs, a Tale”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. […], 2nd edition, volume I, Edinburgh: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], and William Creech, […], published 1793, →OCLC, page 10:
text: [F]ine words to make foolish maidens fain. But do not excuse it; it is your country-fashion, and we know how to treat it as such.
ref: 1829 May 2, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Anne of Geierstein; or, The Maiden of the Mist. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Company] for Cadell and Co., […]; London: Simpkin and Marshall, […], →OCLC, page 113:
text: Then mean I, that I should be wonderous fain / That shamefully they one and all were slain, / Whoever against Love mean aught amiss.
ref: 1837, William Wordsworth, “[Memorials of a Tour in Italy.] The Cuckoo and the Nightingale. (From Chaucer.)”, in Poems, Chiefly of Early and Late Years; […] (The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth; VII), London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1842, →OCLC, stanza XXVI, page 155:
text: [M]y master is quite fain of his company.
ref: 1863, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “A Refractory Pupil”, in Sylvia’s Lovers. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 195:
text: O love, of my death my life is fain, / (The willows wave on the water-way,) / Your cheek and mine are cold in the rain, / But warm they'll be when we meet again. / (With a wind blown night and day.)
ref: 1871–1873 (date written), Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “A Death-parting”, in Ballads and Sonnets, London: Ellis and White, […], published 1881, →OCLC, stanza 3, page 287, lines 11–15:
text: And fain and full was my heart, and I took him to my breast, / And I cherished him soft and warm, for I deemed I had gotten the best.
ref: 1877, William Morris, “Of the Dream of Gudrun the Daughter of Giuki”, in The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs, London: Ellis and White, […], →OCLC, book III (Brynhild), page 176:
text: O lamentable brother! if those pity thee, / Am I not fain of all thy lone eyes promise me; / Half a fool's kingdom, far from men who sow and reap, / All their days vanity?
ref: 1892 August, Ernest Dowson, “To One in Bedlam”, in W[illiam] H[enry] Wilkins, Hubert Crackanthorpe, editors, The Albemarle: A Monthly Review, volume II, number 2, London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., →OCLC, stanza 3, page 67, lines 9–10:
glosses: Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
examples: text: [T]hey vvere faine to patche uppe the Matter vvith a little piece of Paper clappid over the foreſaid VVordes, […]
ref: 1559, John Strype, quoting John Feckenham, “[An Appendix; being a Repository of Faithful Extracts out of Various Records and Registers, […].] Numb[er] IX. The Oration of the Reverend Father in God Mr. Dr. Fecknam, Abbott of Westminster, in the Parliament House, 1559, against the Bill for the Liturgy.”, in Annals of the Reformation and Establishment of Religion, and Other Various Occurrences in the Church of England; […], volume I, London: […] John Wyat, […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 26:
text: By this heaunly ground I tread on, I muſt be faine to pavvne both my plate, & the tapeſtry of my dining chambers.
ref: c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], signature C3, recto:
text: [T]he Learned Caſtalio [i.e., Sebastian Castellio] vvas fain to make Trenchers at Baſle to keep himſelf from ſtarving, vvhen his [Michel de Montaigne's] Father vvould have given any Money for ſuch a Tutor for his Son, and Caſtalio have vvillingly embraced ſuch an Imployment upon very reaſonable Terms, but this vvas for vvant of Intelligence.
ref: 1693, [John Locke], “§89”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 105:
text: Having pledged herself to remain with her aunt to the end, Christbel was fain to make the best of her life at Mount Royal, and in order to do this she must needs keep on good terms with her cousin.
ref: 1882, [Mary Elizabeth Braddon], “‘That Lip and Voice are Mute for Ever’”, in Mount Royal […], volume II, London: John and Robert Maxwell […], →OCLC, page 115:
glosses: Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
Glad, contented, or satisfied to do something in the absence of a better alternative.
examples: text: Penker in his ſermõ [sermon] ſo loſt his voice that he was faine to leaue of [off] & come downe in the middes.
ref: c. 1513 (date written), Thomas More, “The History of King Richard the Thirde (Vnfinished) […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 58, column 1:
text: [I]n this condition, he [Jesus] is fain to bear his burdenſom Croſs tovvards the place of his Execution, John 19. 17. till he vvas able to carry it no longer, but even fainted under it; […]
ref: 1676, [Matthew Hale], “Of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified”, in Contemplations Moral and Divine. […], London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbury […], and John Leigh […], →OCLC, page 207:
text: Many Plants are mention'd in Scripture vvhich are not diſtinctly knovvn in our Countries, or under ſuch Names in the Original, as they are fain to be rendred by analogy, or by the name of Vegetables of good affinity unto them, and ſo maintain the textual ſenſe, though in ſome variation from identity.
ref: c. 1683 (date written), Thomas Brown [i.e., Thomas Browne], “Tract I. Observations upon Several Plants Mention’d in Scripture.”, in [Thomas Tenison], editor, Certain Miscellany Tracts, London: […] Charles Mearn, […], published 1683, →OCLC, page 7:
text: And the uſe of Fire-Guns in that taking of Conſtantinople is notorious, as you may ſee in Laonicus Chalcocondylas De Rebus Turcicis, one of the Byzantine Hiſtorians, lib. 7. vvho there makes mention of a Cannon of ſo vaſt a bigneſs, that it vvas fain to be dravvn by ſeventy yoke of Oxen and tvvo thouſand Men.
ref: 1685, Henry More, “Three Objections from a Considerate Hand. […]”, in Paralipomena Prophetica Containing Several Supplements and Defences of Dr Henry More His Expositions of the Prophet Daniel and the Apocalypse, […], London: […] Walter Kettilby […], →OCLC, page 315:
glosses: Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
Compelled or obliged to.
examples: text: Man and Birds are fayne of climbing high.
ref: 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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 125, column 2:
synonyms: disposed
keen
lief
raring
antonyms: averse
disinclined
loath
reluctant
unwilling
glosses: Chiefly followed by to, or (obsolete) for or of: eager or willing, or inclined.
examples: text: I felt a spirit of love begin to stir / Within my heart, long time unfelt till then; / And saw Love coming towards me, fair and fain, / (That I scarce knew him for his joyful cheer,) / Saying, "Be now indeed my worshipper!".
ref: 1861, Dante Alighieri, “The New Life. (La Vita Nuova.)”, in Dante Gabriel Rossetti, transl., The Early Italian Poets from Ciullo D’Alcamo to Dante Alighieri […], London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, part II (Dante and His Circle), page 275:
qualifier: except in fair and fain
glosses: Favourable, well-disposed.
examples: text: [S]carcely ſhe could ryde, / And eke through heauie armes, vvhich ſore annoyd / The Prince on foot, not vvonted ſo to fare; / VVhoſe ſteadie hand vvas faine his ſteede to guyde, / And all the vvay from trotting hard to ſpare, / So vvas his toyle the more, the more that vvas his care.
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 37, page 118:
text: [T]o a buſie man temptation is fain to climbe up together vvith his buſineſſes, and ſins creep upon him onely by accidents and occaſions; vvhereas to an idle perſon they come in a full body, and vvith open violence, and the impudence of a reſtleſſe importunity.
ref: 1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, “Consideration of the General Instruments and Means Serving to a Holy Life: By Way of Introduction”, in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC, section I (The First General Instrument of Holy Living: Care of Our Time), pages 6–7:
glosses: Accustomed, apt, wont.
Derived terms: fainness
unfain