faun

[ fawn ]

/ fɔn /

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noun Classical Mythology.

one of a class of rural deities represented as men with the ears, horns, tail, and later also the hind legs of a goat.

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Origin of faun

1325–75; Middle English (<Old French faune) <Latin faunus;cf. Faunus

OTHER WORDS FROM faun

faunlike, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH faun

faun , fawn

Words nearby faun

fault scarp, fault tree, faulty, faulty union, fault zone, faun, fauna, faunistic, fauns, Fauntleroy suit, faunula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use faun in a sentence

Erin BergerIn the 18th century—the early years of the conquest of North American forests—a faun and his human brother sow what’s now Ohio with apple seeds.
Our Favorite Books of 2021|smurguia|December 18, 2021|Outside Online
Soon after their arrival, Ofelia meets a fairy, who takes her to the titular labyrinth and introduces her to a faun, who in turn convinces her that she is in fact a princess named Moanna.
The Best International Movies on Netflix|Chris Grasinger|June 11, 2021|Time
He was Mr. Tumnus, the delightful faun, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
James McAvoy on ‘Filth,’ His Wild Bachelor Party, and BB Gun Fights with Jennifer Lawrence|Marlow Stern|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We hope our film Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq illuminates the exceptional qualities of Tanny in dance and in life.
The Tragic Downfall of Tanaquil Le Clercq, Ballet’s Greatest Muse|Nancy Buirski|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Jerome Robbins, also at NYCB, did the same, and she inspired him to create his radical Afternoon of the Faun for her.
The Tragic Downfall of Tanaquil Le Clercq, Ballet’s Greatest Muse|Nancy Buirski|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The palette was gentle and pretty, focusing on rose pinks, lavenders, dusky mauve, mint, faun and pale lemon.
Burberry Prorsum Spring/ Summer 2014|Tom Sykes|September 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They seemed creatures scarcely more sylvan than he, sprawled, like a loitering faun with his hands clasped behind his head.
The Squirrel-Cage|Dorothy Canfield
He should go naked as a faun; such things roamed about the primeval woods seeking what they might devour.
Olive in Italy|Moray Dalton
Mamise was amazed to find that the strenuous business man had so much of the faun in his soul.
The Cup of Fury|Rupert Hughes
Dunstan, the charmed faun look in his eyes, prone at Minga's feet.
Under the Law|Edwina Stanton Babcock
The house of the Faun at Pompeii, which is the most richly paved of all, was a museum of mosaics.
The Wonders of Pompeii|Marc Monnier

British Dictionary definitions for faun

faun

/ (fɔːn) /

noun

(in Roman legend) a rural deity represented as a man with a goat's ears, horns, tail, and hind legs

Derived forms of faun

faunlike, adjective

Word Origin for faun

C14: back formation from Faunes (plural), from Latin Faunus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012