faint

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French feindre, faindre (“to feign, to sham, to work negligently”), from Latin fingere (“to touch, handle, usually form, shape, frame, form in thought, imagine, conceive, contrive, devise, feign”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɛɪnt/, X-SAMPA: /feInt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪnt
• Homophone: feint

Adjective

faint (comparative fainter, superlative faintest)

1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.
2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed.

   "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." Robert Burns - To Dr. Blackjack.

3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound.
4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance.
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 243b.

     do you have the faintest understanding of what they mean?

Translations

lacking strength

• Armenian: տկար (hy) (tkar)
• Basque: geldo (eu)
• Bulgarian: слаб (bg) (slab), немощен (bg) (nemošten)
• Catalan: feble (ca) m and f, dèbil (ca) m and f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 微弱 (cmn) (wēiruò)

• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• Finnish: heikko (fi), heiveröinen (fi)

• French: faible (fr)
• German: kraftlos (de), schwach (de)
• Italian: debole (it)
• Japanese: 弱々しい (ja) (yowayowashii)
• Kyrgyz: талуу (ky) (taluu), эс оош (ky) (es ooş), талып калуу (ky) (talıp kaluu), эсинен тануу (ky) (esinen tanuu), эси ооп жыгылып калуу (ky) (esi oop cıgılıp kaluu)
• Russian: слабый (ru) (slábyj)
• Spanish: débil (es)

wanting in courage

• Bulgarian: плах (bg) (plah)
• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• French: craintif (fr), timoré (fr)

• Italian: pavido (it), timoroso (it)
• Japanese: 気の弱い (ja) (kinoyowai), 気が弱い (ja) (kigayowai)
• Russian: слабый (ru) (slábyj), слабонервный (ru) (slabonérvnyj)

lacking distinctness

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen), неотчетлив (bg) (neotčetliv)
• Catalan: feble (ca) m and f, tènue (ca) m and f
• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• Finnish: hämärä (fi)
• French: faible (fr)

• Hebrew: כהה (he) (keiheh)
• Italian: incerto (it), indistinto (it)
• Japanese: (for sound) かすか (ja) (kasuka), (for colour)淡い (ja) (awai)
• Maori: tōriki (mi), tōririki (mi)
• Russian: тусклый (ru) (túsklyj)
• Spanish: tenue (es)

performed in a weak or feeble manner

• Dutch: zwak (nl)
• French: faible (fr)
• Italian: debole (it)

• Japanese: 弱々しい (ja) (yowayowashii)
• Russian: вялый (ru) (vjályj)
• Spanish: tenue (es)

Noun

faint (plural faints)

1. The act of fainting.
2. (rare) The state of one who has fainted; a swoon.

Translations

the act of fainting

• Bulgarian: припадане (bg) (pripadane) n
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 昏厥 (cmn) (hūnjué)

• Danish: besvimelse (da)
• French: évanouissement (fr) m
• German: Ohnmacht (de) f
• Italian: svenimento (it) m

• Japanese: 失神 (ja) (しっしん, shisshin)
• Lithuanian: nualpimas (lt) m
• Portuguese: desmaio (pt) m
• Russian: обморок (ru) (óbmorok) m
• Spanish: desmayo (es) m
• Turkish: bayılma (tr)

the state of one who has fainted

• Bulgarian: припадък (bg) (pripadǎk) m
• French: évanoui (fr) m
• German: Ohnmacht (de) f
• Japanese: 失神 (ja) (しっしん, shisshin)

• Lithuanian: alpulys (lt) m
• Russian: обморок (ru) (óbmorok) m
• Scottish Gaelic: neul (gd) m
• Turkish: baygınlık (tr)

Verb

faint (third-person singular simple present faints, present participle fainting, simple past and past participle fainted)

1. (intransitive) To lose consciousness. Caused by a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of a suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions).

Synonyms

• pass out
• swoon

Translations

to lose consciousness

• Bulgarian: припадам (bg) (pripadam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 昏過去 (cmn), 昏过去 (cmn) (hūn guòqù), 昏倒 (cmn) (hūndǎo), 暈厥 (cmn), 晕厥 (cmn) (yūnjué), 發暈 (cmn), 发晕 (cmn) (fāyūn)

• Czech: omdlít (cs)
• Danish: besvime (da)
• Dutch: flauwvallen (nl), (formal) bezwijmen (nl)
• Finnish: pyörtyä (fi)
• French: s'évanouir (fr), se pâmer (fr)
• German: ohnmächtig werden (de), in Ohnmacht fallen (de)
• Indonesian: pingsan (id)
• Italian: svenire (it)

• Japanese: 失神する (ja) (しっしんする, shisshin-suru)
• Jèrriais: s'êvanni
• Malay: pengsan (ms)
• Norwegian: besvime (no), svime av (no)
• Portuguese: desmaiar (pt)
• Russian: падать в обморок (ru) (pádatʹ v óbmorok) impf., упасть в обморок (ru) (upástʹ v óbmorok) pf., терять сознание (ru) (terjátʹ soznánije) impf., потерять сознание (ru) (poterjátʹ soznánije) pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: rach an neul (gd)
• Spanish: desmayar (es)
• Swedish: svimma (sv)
• Turkish: bayılmak (tr)

External links

• faint in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• faint in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• faint at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Fanti
• fitna

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Welsh

Adverb

faint

1. how much (what is the cost/price)

This Welsh entry was created from the translations listed at how much. It may be less reliable than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or additional senses. Please also see faint in the Welsh Wiktionary. This notice will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information) July 2010