English
fain
Fain comes from Middle English fain ‘enjoyable, pleasing’, from Old English fægen ‘happy, joyful, fain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-1‘joyful’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faganaz1‘glad’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fagan1‘glad’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fægen1‘happy, joyful, fain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fain1‘enjoyable, pleasing’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1513fain1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English fain
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1513, Thomas More, The History of King Richard the Thirde (Vnfinished) […]: “Penker in his ſermõ [sermon] ſo loſt his voice…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peḱ-Wiktionary, English fain‘joyful’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*faganazWiktionary, English fain‘glad’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*faganWiktionary, English fain‘glad’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fægenWiktionary, English fain‘happy, joyful, fain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fainWiktionary, English fain‘enjoyable, pleasing’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1513fainWiktionary, English fain. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1513, Thomas More, The History of King Richard the Thirde (Vnfinished) […]: “Penker in his ſermõ [sermon] ſo loſt his voice…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- ‘joyful’
fight, fellow, fee, peculiar, feud, cynical, hound, fax, poodle, cynic, feu, pec, pecuniary, chenille, 26 more
through Proto-Germanic *faganaz ‘glad’
Today it means
adj Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fain”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- / fain