Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “faint” come from?

Faint comes from Middle English fainten, from Old French feint, from Old English fēond, from Latin fingere meaning "to shape or form," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots related to fashioning and building.

faint (English): Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose...

Definitions

  1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose...

Ancestry of “faint”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfainten—

Words derived from “faint”

  • fainting
  • fainter
  • fainthearted
  • fainteth
  • faintheartedness
  • faintish
  • fainty
  • faintheartedly
  • faintishness
  • unfainting
  • faintingly
  • faintheart
  • faintful
  • faintingness
  • faintward
  • faint-heartedness
  • faint-heartedly
  • faintsome
  • forfaint
  • faint-hearted
  • ultrafaint
  • fainten
  • faintling
  • fainthood
Every word from Middle English fainten →