Wiktionary

gain

See also: Gain, gain-, and ga in

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • enPR: gān, IPA(key): /ɡeɪn/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪn

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English gayn, gain, gein (“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn (“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą (“gain, profit", literally "return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana (“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- (“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”). Cognate with Icelandic gagn (“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn (“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn (“gain, profit, success”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn (“ready”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna (“to avail, help”), Danish gavne (“to benefit”).

The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain (“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waidanjan (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþō, *waiþijō (“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn (“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide (“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða (“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan (“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wathe, wide.

VerbEdit

gain (third-person singular simple present gains, present participle gaining, simple past and past participle gained)

  1. (transitive) To acquire possession of.
    Looks like you've gained a new friend.
  2. (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
    The sick man gains daily.
  3. (transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
    to gain a battle; to gain a case at law
  4. (transitive) To increase.
  5. (intransitive) To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
    I'm gaining (on you).
    gain ground
  6. (transitive) To reach.
    to gain the top of a mountain
    • 1908, Jack London, The Iron Heel‎[1], New York: The Macmillan Company:
      Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.
  7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
  8. (intransitive) To put on weight.
    I've been gaining.
    • 2020, Riley Willman, “Ana”, in Rapids Review (Anoka Ramsey Community College):
      Thinspo, bonespo, meanspo, sweetspo, anything that could motivate me not to eat, not to consume, not to gain, not to fail.
  10. (of a clock or watch) To run fast.
ConjugationEdit
Conjugation of gain
infinitive (to) gain
present tense past tense
1st-person singular gain gained
2nd-person singular gain, gainest† gained, gainedst†
3rd-person singular gains, gaineth† gained
plural gain
subjunctive gain gained
imperative gain —
participles gaining gained

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

NounEdit

gain (countable and uncountable, plural gains)

  1. The act of gaining; acquisition.
  2. The thing or things gained.
  3. (electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
    • 1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice, page 238:
      There follows the high and low-frequency replay equalization, which normally involves two adjustments with a further control allowing the replay gain to be set.
AntonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 2Edit

From dialectal English gen, gin, short for again, agen (“against”); also Middle English gain, gayn, gein, ȝæn (“against”), from Old English gēan, geġn (“against”). More at against.

PrepositionEdit

gain

  1. (obsolete) Against.
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

From Middle English gayn, gein, geyn (“straight, direct, short, fit, good”), from Old Norse gegn (“straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable, kindly”), from gegn (“opposite, against”, adverb) (whence gagna (“to go against, meet, suit, be meet”)); see below at gain. Adverb from Middle English gayn, gayne (“fitly, quickly”), from the adjective.

AdjectiveEdit

gain (comparative more gain, superlative most gain)

  1. (obsolete) Straight, direct; near; short.
    the gainest way
  2. (obsolete) Suitable; convenient; ready.
  3. (dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
  4. (dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

AdverbEdit

gain (comparative more gain, superlative most gain)

  1. (obsolete) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
  2. (dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
  3. (dialectal) Tolerably; fairly.
    gain quiet (= fairly/pretty quiet)

Etymology 4Edit

Compare Welsh gan (“a mortise”).

NounEdit

gain (plural gains)

  1. (architecture) A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.

AnagramsEdit

BasqueEdit

NounEdit

gain

  1. summit

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Inherited from Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, deverbal from the verb gaaignier (“to earn, gain, seize, conquer by force”) (whence Modern French gagner).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

gain m (plural gains)

  1. a gain (of something), an instance of saving (something); an increase (in something)
    un gain de temps ― an increase in time
    un gain de productivité ― an increase in productivity
    Antonym: perte
  2. (usually in the plural) winnings, earnings, takings
  3. (finance) gain, yield

Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

Louisiana CreoleEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French gagner (“to gain”), compare Haitian Creole gen.

VerbEdit

gain

  1. to have

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old English ġeġn, gæġn, from Proto-Germanic *gagin; also influenced by Old Norse gegn, from the same Proto-Germanic form. Doublet of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”).

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ɡɛi̯n/, /ɡeːn/, /jɛi̯n/, /jeːn/

PrepositionEdit

gain

  2. against, next to, touching
  3. (figurative) against, opposed to, counter to, opposing (usually used in religious and spiritual contexts)
  4. towards, to, nearing
  5. (rare) on, on top of
  6. (rare) facing, pointed towards
DescendantsEdit
  • English: gain (obsolete)
  • Scots: gain, gin
ReferencesEdit

AdverbEdit

gain

  1. back (to), returning (to)
ReferencesEdit

Etymology 2Edit

AdjectiveEdit

gain

  1. Alternative form of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”)

Etymology 3Edit

NounEdit

gain

  1. Alternative form of gayn (“gain, reward, advantage”)

Etymology 4Edit

VerbEdit

gain

  1. Alternative form of gaynen

Middle FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Old French gaaing.

NounEdit

gain m (plural gains)

  1. income (financial)
    • 15th century, Rustichello da Pisa (original author), Mazarine Master (scribe), The Travels of Marco Polo, page 19, line 16:
      et donnoit chascun iour de son gaaing pour Dieu
      and every day he gave away some of his income for God

DescendantsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • gain on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

WelshEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

gain

  1. Soft mutation of cain.

MutationEdit

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
cain gain nghain chain
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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