Adjacent Words

Fain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FAIN, a.
1. Glad; pleased; rejoiced. but the appropriate sense of the word is, glad or pleased to do something under some kind of necessity; that is, glad to evade evil or secure good. Thus, says Locke, "The learned Castalio was fain to make trenches at Basil, to keep himself from starving." this appropriation of the word, which is modern, led Dr. Johnson into a mistake in defining the word. The proper signification is glad, joyful.
FAIN, adv. Gladly; with joy or pleasure.
He would fain flee out of his hand. Job 28.
He would fain have filled his belly with husks. Luke 15.
FAIN, v.i. to wish or desire. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having made preparations; "prepared to take risks" [syn: disposed, fain, inclined, prepared] adv
1: in a willing manner; "this was gladly agreed to"; "I would fain do it" [syn: gladly, lief, fain]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English fagen, fayn, from Old English fægen; akin to Old English gef?on to rejoice, Old High German gifehan, Old Norse feginn happy Date: before 12th century 1. archaic happy, pleased 2. archaic inclined, desirous 3. a. willing <he was very fain, for the young widow was “altogether fair and lovely…” — Amy Kelly> b. being obliged or constrained ; compelled <Great Britain was fain to devote its whole energy…to the business of slaying and being slain — G. M. Trevelyan> II. adverb Date: 12th century 1. with pleasure ; gladly <a speech of fire that fain would blaze — Michael Billington> 2. a. by preference <knew it, too, though he would fain not admit it publicly — John Lukacs> b. by desire <I would fain consult you — W. S. Gilbert>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & adv. archaic --predic.adj. (foll. by to + infin.) 1 willing under the circumstances to. 2 left with no alternative but to. --adv. gladly (esp. would fain). Etymology: OE fægen f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fain Fain, v. t. & i. To be glad; to wish or desire. [Obs.] Whoso fair thing does fain to see. --Spencer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fain Fain, a. [OE. fain, fagen, AS. f[ae]gen; akin to OS. fagan, Icel. faginn glad; AS. f[ae]gnian to rejoice, OS. fagan[=o]n, Icel. fagna, Goth. fagin[=o]n, cf. Goth. fah[=e]ds joy; and fr. the same root as E. fair. Srr Fair, a., and cf. Fawn to court favor.] 1. Well-pleased; glad; apt; wont; fond; inclined. Men and birds are fain of climbing high. --Shak. To a busy man, temptation is fainto climb up together with his business. --Jer. Taylor. 2. Satisfied; contented; also, constrained. --Shak. The learned Castalio was fain to make trechers at Basle to keep himself from starving. --Locke.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fain Fain, adv. With joy; gladly; -- with wold. He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat. --Luke xv. 16. Fain Would I woo her, yet I dare not. --Shak.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fan (advb.): Occurs twice in English Versions of the Bible, in the sense of "gladly":

(1) in Job 27:22 as the rendering of barach, "to flee with haste" (from anything), "He would fain flee out of his hand," literally, as in in of the King James Version, "in fleeing he would flee";

(2) in Lu 15:16, as the translation of epithumeo, "to fix the mind or desire on," "He would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat." the Revised Version (British and American) adds two instances:

(1) Lu 13:31, "Herod would fain kill thee";

(2) Ac 26:28, "Thou wouldest fain make me a Christian."

See ALMOST.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. Glad, pleased, rejoiced, well-pleased, eager, inclined, anxious. II. ad. Gladly, joyfully, with pleasure, with joy, eagerly, willingly.

Moby Thesaurus

aching for, acquiescent, agreeable, alacritous, amenable, ardent, bent on, compliant, consenting, content, cooperative, crazy to, desirous of, disposed, docile, dying for, dying to, eager, enthusiastic, fain of, favorable, favorably disposed, favorably inclined, fond of, forward, game, in the mind, in the mood, inclined, inclined toward, itching for, keen on, leaning toward, mad on, minded, partial to, pliant, predisposed, prompt, prone, quick, ready, ready and willing, receptive, responsive, set on, spoiling for, tractable, well-disposed, well-inclined, wild to, willed, willing, willinghearted, zealous