Word: gain Part of Speech: verb 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. Pronunciation: /ɡeɪn/ 1. To acquire possession of. Labels: transitive Example: Looks like you’ve gained a new friend. Example: What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 2. To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress. Labels: intransitive Example: The sick man gains daily. Example: Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion. 3. To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition. Labels: dated, transitive Example: to gain a battle; to gain a case at law 4. To increase. Labels: transitive Example: Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength. 5. To grow more likely to catch or overtake someone. Labels: intransitive, often, with-on Example: to gain ground Example: I’m gaining (on you). 6. To reach. Labels: transitive Example: to gain the top of a mountain Example: Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street. 7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate. Example: If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Example: to gratify the queen, and gain the court 8. To put on weight. Labels: intransitive Example: I’ve been gaining. Example: Thinspo, bonespo, meanspo, sweetspo, anything that could motivate me not to eat, not to consume, not to gain, not to fail. 9. To run fast, often by a specified amount. Labels: ambitransitive, dated Example: Don't rely on that clock: it gains. Example: "Don't hurry immediately after your breakfast, Geoffrey. You know that clock gains five minutes every day and it's only—" called out Miss Tilehurst, but Geoffrey was technically out of earshot then […]