fainéant
[ fey-nee-uh nt; French fe-ney-ahn ]
/ ˈfeɪ ni ənt; French fɛ neɪˈɑ̃ /
|
adjective
Also fai·ne·ant [fey-nee-uh nt] /ˈfeɪ ni ənt/. idle; indolent.
noun, plural fai·né·ants [fey-nee-uh nts; French fe-ney-ahn] /ˈfeɪ ni ənts; French fɛ neɪˈɑ̃/.
an idler.
Nearby words
fainting, faintly, faintness, faints, fainty, faineant, fair, fair and square, fair ball, fair catch, fair copy
Origin of fainéant
Related formsfai·ne·ance [fey-nee-uh ns] /ˈfeɪ ni əns/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for faineant
Yours is the faineant spirit of the decadent, masquerading in the garb of a sham primitivism.
A Lost Leader|E. Phillips Oppenheim
British Dictionary definitions for faineant
fainéant
/ (ˈfeɪnɪənt, French fɛneɑ̃) /
noun
a lazy person; idler
adjective
indolent
Derived Formsfaineance or faineancy, noun
Word Origin for fainéant
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
faineant
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper