Faint

Part of speech: adjective, verb, noun

Pronunciation: /feɪnt/

Definitions

1. A weak or barely perceptible sensation, sound, or light, or to lose consciousness briefly
2. A lack of intensity in sensory perceptions like light or sound, coupled with a temporary loss of consciousness
3. A dim or feeble quality in sensations, sounds, or lights, along with the possibility of brief unconsciousness

Etymology: The adjective "faint" began as a word for pretending. Its Old French ancestor, "faint" or "feint," was the past participle of "feindre," meaning "to feign," "sham," or "work negligently." So the feeble sense of today grew out of an older idea of feigning, and the two meanings sit close together in the family: "feign" and "fiction" come from the same Latin source, "fingere," which meant to shape, form, or devise. That Latin verb is the key to the surprise. "Fingere" could mean to mold clay or to contrive a story, and the French branch leaned toward the second. A thing that was "feint" was made up, put on, or half-hearted, and by the time English borrowed it in Middle English as "faynt" or "feynt," it meant weak or feeble. The sense of lacking strength or vigour came first, and the fainting spell came later as an extension of that weakness. The verb "faint" was formed from the adjective, which is why its meanings track the adjective's: to lose strength, to grow dim, or to lose consciousness.

Synonyms: weak, dim, feeble, indistinct, slight

Antonyms: strong, clear, bright, vivid, robust