Wiktionary

fawn

English

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A fawn.

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English fawne, fowne, foun, from Old French faon, foon, feon,[1] from Vulgar Latin *fētōnem, from Latin fētus (“offspring, young”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Displaced native Old English hindċealf (literally “deer calf”). Doublet of fetus.

Noun

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fawn (plural fawns)

  1. A young deer.
    Synonym: deerling
  2. A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.
    fawn:  
  3. (obsolete) The young of an animal; a whelp.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Adjective

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fawn (not comparable)

  1. Of the fawn colour.
Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

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fawn (third-person singular simple present fawns, present participle fawning, simple past and past participle fawned)

  1. (intransitive) To give birth to a fawn.

Etymology 2

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From Middle English fawnen, from Old English fagnian, alternative form of fæġnian (“to celebrate”), whence Middle English fainen, English fain.[2] Cognate with Old Norse fagna.[3] See also fain.

Verb

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fawn (third-person singular simple present fawns, present participle fawning, simple past and past participle fawned)

  1. (intransitive) To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
  2. (intransitive) To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on or upon).
    Synonyms: grovel, wheedle, soft-soap, toady
  3. (intransitive, of a dog) To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc.
Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun

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fawn (plural fawns)

  1. (rare) A servile cringe or bow.
  2. Base flattery.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “fawn”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
  3. ^ “fawn”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin Faunus.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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fawn (plural fawnes or fawny)

  1. faun, satyr

Descendants

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  • English: faun

References

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Welsh

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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fawn

  1. Soft mutation of bawn.

Noun

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fawn

  1. Soft mutation of mawn.

Mutation

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Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
bawn fawn mawn unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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