fainéant
[fey-nee-uh nt; French fe-ney-ahn]
- Also fai·ne·ant [fey-nee-uh nt] /ˈfeɪ ni ənt/. idle; indolent.
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- an idler.
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Origin of fainéant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
idleinactiveindolentslothfulsluggardsluggishotioseshiftlessbumgood-for-nothinglayaboutloaferslackerwastrelExamples from the Web for faineant
Historical Examples
Yours is the faineant spirit of the decadent, masquerading in the garb of a sham primitivism.
A Lost LeaderE. Phillips Oppenheim
fainéant
- a lazy person; idler
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- indolent
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Word Origin
C17: from French, modification of earlier fait-nient (he) does nothing, by folk etymology from Old French faignant shirker, from faindre to be lazy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for faineant
adj.
1610s (n.), from French fainéant (16c.) "do-nothing," from fait, third person singular present tense of faire (see factitious) + néant "nothing" (cf. dolce far niente).
A French folk etymology of Old French faignant (14c.), present participle of faindre "to feign" (see feign). As an adjective, from 1855.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper