fain

Meaning

Adj

1. (UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic) Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
2. (UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic) Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
3. (UK, archaic, broadly, dialectal, poetic) Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
4. (UK, archaic, dialectal) Chiefly followed by to, or (obsolete) for or of: eager or willing, or inclined.
5. (archaic, obsolete) Favourable, well-disposed.
6. (archaic, obsolete) Accustomed, apt, wont.

Adv

1. (archaic, obsolete) Chiefly preceded or followed by would.
2. (archaic, obsolete) Chiefly preceded or followed by would.

Verb

1. (archaic, obsolete, rare, transitive) To be delighted or glad about (someone or something); to rejoice in; also, to favour or prefer (someone or something).
2. (archaic, obsolete, transitive) To make (someone) glad; to gladden; hence, to congratulate (someone); to welcome (someone).
3. (Germanic, archaic, intransitive, obsolete) To celebrate or worship; specifically, to offer an oblation which is not a sacrificial blót (“ceremonial offering”).
4. (archaic, intransitive, obsolete) Chiefly followed by of, in, on, or to: to be delighted or glad; to rejoice.
5. (archaic, intransitive, obsolete) To desire, to wish.

Opposite of

averse, disinclined, loath, reluctant, unwilling

Synonyms

willingly

disposed

inclined

gladly

lief

prepared

readily

gladsomely

happily

happy

😀

languid

obliged

persuasible

promptly

weak

well-disposed

willing

hate

😡

compliant

love

❤️

consenting

eager

feeble

fen

forbid

glad

Translations

volontiers

gern

volentieri

graag

heureusement

yükümlü

istekli

arzulu

με χαρά

verheugen

gaarne

hevesli

joyeusement

gerne

enclin

Pronounced as (IPA)

/feɪn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: fain

Inherited from Old English: fægen

Cognate with Old Norse: feginn

Cognate with Gothic: 𐍆𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽

Cognate with Old Norse: fagna

Inherited from Middle English: fainen

Inherited from Old English: fæġnian

In summary

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