faint 
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is 
small. Prov. xxiv. 10. 
Had you not sentc him, many would have been ready to 
fainte :md ^or liju-kc. 
Quotud in Bradford' I Plymouth Plantation, p. 60. 
At length tin- nine (who still together held) 
Their faintimi foes to shameful Hight compell'd. 
liriiilrn, Flower and Leaf, 1. 301. 
Why should we faint and fear to live alone, 
Since all alone, so Heaven has willed, we die? 
Keble, Christian Year. 
2. To become faint, weak, or exhausted in body ; 
fail in strength or vigor ; languish ; droop ; es- 
pecially, to fall into a swoon; lose sensation 
and consciousness; swoon: sometimes with 
away. 
Than be-gonne the horse of the cristin toffynte sore as 
they that two dayes liadde not eten. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 445. 
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint 
for thirst. Amos viii. is. 
On hearing the honour intended her, she fainted away. 
Guardian. 
3. To become faint to the view; become grad- 
ually dim or indistinct; fade; vanish. 
Gilded clouds, while we gaze on them, faint before the 
eye. Pope. 
Il.t trans. To make faint; weaken; depress; 
dishearten; deject. 
Syn thui fainted are with fight. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 9567. 
It faints me 
To think what follows. 
Shalt., Hen. VIII., ii. 3. 
I resolved ... to aquainte M r - Weston with y*faint''d 
state of our business. 
Cushman, quoted in Bradford's Plymouth Plantation, p. 54. 
faint-draw (fant'dra), v. t. To draw or deline- 
ate lightly. Savage. [Rare.] 
faintent, '' t. [< faint + -en 1 (c).] To make 
faint. 
Thou wilt not be either so little absent as not to whet 
onr appetites, nor so long as to fainten the heart. 
Bp. Hall, Christ among the Doctors. 
faintfult, a. [< faint + -fut.~\ Fainting; de- 
jected. 
Titan's nieces gather all in one 
Those fluent springs of your lamenting tears, 
And let them rtow alongst my faintfull looks. 
Greene, Orlando Furioso. 
faint-heart, faint-hearted (fant'hart, -hal- 
ted), a. Cowardly ; timorous ; easily alarmed 
or yielding to fear. 
Re not faint-hearted for these evil days, which are come 
to try us and purify us. 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), II. 197. 
From fearefull cowards entrance to forstall, 
And faint-heart fooles, whom shew of perill hard 
Could terrifle from Fortunes faire adward. 
Spenser, F. (J., IV. x. 17. 
faint-heartedly (fant'har'ted-li), adv. In a 
timorous or cowardly manner. 
faint-heartedness (f'ant'har"ted-nes), n. Cow- 
ardice; want of courage. 
fainting (fan'ting), n. [Verbal n. of faint, v.~\ 
A swoon ; the act of swooning. 
Sleep hath forsook and given me o'er 
To death's benumming opium as my only cure: 
Thence fainlinr/s, swponings of despair, 
And sense of Heaven's desertion. 
Hilton, S. A., 1. 631. 
faintiset, [ME., also faintis, fayntise, fein- 
tise, feyntise, < OF. feintise, faintise, F. feintise 
(= Pr. feintesa), feigning, faintness, < feindre, 
feign: see faint.} 1. Deceit; hypocrisy; feign- 
ing. 
I will fayne the no faintis vnder faith wordes. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 241. 
2. Faintness; weakness. 
Er i a furlong hedde i-fare & feyntise me hente, 
That forther miht i not a-fote for defaute of sleep. 
Piers Plowman (A), v. 5. 
3. Faint-heartedness; cowardice. 
Ho-so faileth forfei/ntyce wild fur him for-brenne ! 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1188. 
Knightes ever shoulde be persevering, 
To seeke honour without feintise or slouth. 
Flower and Leaf, 1. 548. 
faintish (fan' tish),o. [< faint + -w*i.] Slight- 
ly faint. 
If on coming home from a journey in hot weather you 
find yourself faintish and drouthy. 
A. Tucker, Light of Nature, I. i. 6. 
faintishness (fau'tish-nes), . A slight degree 
of faintness ; languor. 
The sensation of faintishness and debility on a hot day. 
Arbuthnfit, Effects of Air. 
faintlingt (fant'ling), a. [< faint + -tin<i.~\ 
Timorous ; feeble-minded. 
There's no having patience, thou art such Afnintliixr, 
silly creature. Arbuthnot, Hist. John Bull. ii. is. 
2119 
faintly (fant'li), IK(K. [< ME. faintly, fayiithi, 
fciitteliche, etc.; < faint + -fy 2 .] In a faint 
manner; without vigor, energy, or heartiness; 
without vividness or distinctness; feebly; timo- 
rously. 
It is ordinary with them to praise faintly the good qual- 
ities of those below them. Steele, Spectator, No. 468. 
Tito' faintly, merrily far and far away 
He heard the pealing of his parish bells. 
Tennyson, Enoch Arden. 
A near hum from bees and brooks 
Comes faintly like the breath of sleep. 
Bryant, Summer Ramble. 
faintness (fant'nes), n. [< ME. feyntnesse ; < 
J'niiit + -ness.] The state or condition of being 
faint ; defect of strength ; feebleness ; deficien- 
cy of force, brightness, vividness, distinctness, 
or the like ; want of vigor, energy, or heartiness; 
timorousness ; dejection; irresolution. 
And vpon them that are lette a lyue of you I wyll sende 
a fayntnesse into theyr hartes in the lande of theyr ene- 
mies. Bible of 1551, Lev. xxvi. 
As she was speaking, she fell down tor faintness. 
Rest of Esther xv. 15. 
Yea, such a fear and faintness is grown in court, that 
they wish rather to hear the blowing of a horn to hunt 
than the sound of u trumpet to nght. 
Lyly, Alexander and Campaspe, iv. 3. 
faint-pleadert (fant'ple'der), n. [< faint + 
pleader.] In law, a fraudulent, false, or col- 
lusory manner of pleading, to the deception of 
a third person. 
faintyt (fan'ti), a. [< faint + -yi.] Faint; fee- 
ble; languid; exhausted. 
Jacob sod potage, and Esau came from the felde and 
wasfayntye, and sayde to Jacob : let me suppe of yt redde 
potage, for I nmfainty. Bible of 1551, Gen. xxv. 
The fainty knights were scorch'd, and knew not where 
To run for shelter, for no shade was near. 
Dryden, Flower and Leaf, 1. 381. 
fair 1 (far), a. and n. [< ME. fair, fayr, faier, 
fayer, feir, fager, etc., < AS. f eager, beautiful, 
pleasing, pleasant, = OS. fagar = OHG. fagar 
= Icel. fagr = Sw.fr/ge>- = Dan. feir (obs.), 
fager = Goth, fagrs, fit, adapted; prob. ult. 
connected with fay 1 , q. y.] I. a. 1. Beauti- 
ful ; comely ; free from disfigurement or incon- 
gruity; pleasing to the eye: as, & fair land- 
scape. 
And there is the most/a?/r Chirche and the most noble 
of alle the World. Mandemlle, Travels, p. 8. 
This Town of Edinburgh is one of the fairest Streets 
that ever I saw. Huwell, Letters, I. vi. 38. 
The Nymph did like the Scene appear, 
Serenely pleasant, calmly fair. 
Prior, Lady's Looking-glass. 
A violet by a mossy stone 
Half hidden from the eye ; 
Fair as a star when only one 
Is shining in the sky. Wordsworth, Lucy. 
Fair meadows, softly tinged 
With orange and with crimson. Bryant, Sella. 
2. Free from imperfections or blemish ; pure, 
clean, unspotted, untarnished, etc. ; free from 
anything that might impair the appearance, 
quality, or character; not foul: as, a fair copy ; 
fair skies ; fair fame. 
The Water eke beholde yf it be/otre, 
Hoolsnm, and light. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 2. 
It is In life as it is in ways, the shortest way is commonly 
the foulest, and surely the fairer way is not much about. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ii. 350. 
I'll vindicate her /air name, and so cancel 
My obligation to her. 
Fletcher (and MassingerT), Lovers' Progress, v. 1. 
The Manuscript of Prudentius Hymnes, which was also 
shewed us, is a much fairer Letter, and therefore thought 
to be older by one Century at least. 
Lister, Journey to Paris, p. 109. 
We that fight for OUT fair father Christ, 
Seeing that ye be grown too weak and old 
To drive the heathen from your Roman wall, 
No tribute will we pay. 
Tennyson, Coming of Arthur. 
3. Of a light hue; clear in color; not dusky 
or sallow; not discolored: as, a fair skin or 
complexion; fair hair; the English are a, fair 
race. 
She is a very comely Lady, rather of a Flemish Complex- 
ion than Spanish, /air-haired. Howell, Letters, I. iii. 9. 
Upon her inquiring what sort of a woman lady Lovely 
was in her person, "Really, madame," says the Jacka- 
napes, "she is exactly of your height and shape ; but, as 
you are fair, she is a brown woman." 
Steele, Taller, No. 207. 
Her face, oh! call it fair, not pale. 
Coleridge, Christabel, ii. 
4. Free from obscurity or doubt; clear; dis- 
tinct; positive; direct: as, to get a fair view 
of a prospect; to take a, fair aim. 
fair 
Alle that were in the castell a-woke, ami it was than 
fein day. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 10. 
5. Marked by favoring conditions ; affording 
ample facility or advantage ; unobstructed; fa- 
vorable: as, a, fair field and no favor; a, fair 
mark; in -A fair way to success; a, fair subject 
of ridicule. 
On that othir side thei suugh the foreste and the for- 
teresses that were ther a-boute, and the erable londe and 
the/eire nsshinge. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 609. 
We sailed from hence directly for Genoa, and had a fair 
wind that carried us into the middle of the Gulf. 
Aidiam, Remarks on Italy (ed. Bonn), I. 360. 
6. Comparatively favorable or propitious ; not 
obstructive or forbidding; moderately fit or 
suitable: as, fair weather (as distinguished 
from clear or I'oul weather). 
In the weather reports of the U. S. Signal Corps, the 
sky is said to be fair when it is from four-tenths to seven- 
tentlis (inclusive) covered with clouds. 
Report of Chief Signal OJicer for 1881, p. 745. 
7. Free from guile, harm, or injustice; not 
wrongful, erroneous, or blameworthy; impar- 
tial; honest; equitable: used both of persons 
and of things : as, fair dealing ; a fair debater ; 
a fair decision. 
Than seide the Archebisshop, "So feire eleccion was 
neuer sene ; now go ye, riche barouns and lordes, and as- 
say yef ye may take oute the swerde." 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 10S. 
As for deceiving your friend, that's nothing at all 
tricking is all fair in love, isn't it, ma'am? 
Sheridan, The Duenna, ii. 4. 
The rogue and fool by fits is fair and wise ; 
And even the best, by fits what they despise. 
Pope, Essay on Man, ii. 233. 
It is probably never fair to lay the blame of a moral de- 
terioration or enfeeblement primarily on intellectual mis- 
apprehension. T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, 111. 
There can be no fairer ambition than to excel in talk ; 
to be affable, gay, ready, clear and welcome. 
R. L. Stevenson, Talk and Talkers. 
8. Comparatively good or satisfactory ; passa- 
bly or moderately good ; free from serious de- 
fect ; not undesirable, but not excellent : as, a 
fair income; a, fair appearance; he bears a/air 
reputation. 
He [Temple] is not without fair pretensions to the most 
honourable place among the statesmen of his time. 
AFacaitlay, Sir William Temple. 
The inns were all comfortable buildings, with very fair 
accommodations for travellers. 
Ji. Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 44. 
9. Of favorable bearing or import ; manifest- 
ing or expressing proper feelings or intentions ; 
not harsh or repellent ; plausible : as, a fair 
seeming ; to be fair in speech. 
The Indians were the same there as in all other places, 
at first very fair and friendly, though afterwards they 
gave great proofs of their deceitfulness. 
Beverley, Virginia, i. U 18. 
He, seeing himself surrounded, with fair words and 
promise of great guifts attempted to appease them. 
Milton, Hist. Eng., iv. 
10f. Gracious ; kind. 
I come from your love, 
That sends you fair commends and many kisses. 
Fletcher (and another), Noble Gentleman, i. 3. 
I much thank you for your Visits, and other fair Re- 
spects you shew me. Howell, Letters, ii. 64. 
11. Level ; parallel, as a wall. [Prov. Eng.] 
A fair field. See field. A fair wind. See wind. Fair 
and square, honest; honorable and without deceit or ar- 
tifice: also used adverbially. See/ai>l, adv. 
For you are fair and square in all your Dealings. 
Wycherley, Gentleman Dancing-Master, Epil. 
I ain't a Wig, I ain't a Tory, 
I'm jest a candidate, in short ; 
Thet's/atr rt/t' square an' parpendicler. 
Lowell, Biglow Papers. 
Fair falcon. See falcon. Fair play, impartial treat- 
ment ; a fair chance ; due opportunity : a figure taken 
from gaming : as, give him fair play. 
Aye she made the trumpet sound, 
It's a' fair play. 
Catherine Johnstone (Child's Ballads, IV. 37). 
In a long public life I have never met a man trained in 
the working of the parliamentary system who believed 
that a single chamber would secure habitual fair play 
to minorities, and therefore I am against the unicameral 
method. Contemporary Rev., LII. 308. 
Fair to middling, in com., like fair, 8, moderately good : 
a term designating a specific grade of quality in the mar- 
ketThe fair sex, women. =Syn. 1 and 2. Handsome, 
Pretty, etc. See beautiful. 3. Blond, etc. See white. t. 
Open, Frank, etc. See candid. 
II. H. 1. A fair or beautiful woman; in gen- 
eral, a woman, especially a beloved woman. [A 
use extremely common in eighteenth-century 
poetry.] 
This present night I have appointed been 
To meet that chaste fair that enjoys my soul. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, i. 2. 
