Gain

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɡeɪn/

Definitions

1. To obtain or receive something desired or useful ; a rise in amount, size, or value ; an advantage or positive outcome gained from a situation
2. To get possession of something through effort or action ; the process of becoming larger or more valuable ; a beneficial result or profit derived from an activity
3. The act of acquiring or securing something ; an increase or growth in amount or degree ; a favorable circumstance or benefit earned through effort

Etymology: The verb "gain" has an unexpected ancestor: its core sense of "profit" comes from Old Norse "gagn," meaning "benefit, advantage, use," and in Old Norse the word was linked to the idea of turning back or returning. The Proto-Germanic root behind it, "gagana," meant "back, against, in return," so a gain was originally something that came back to you, a return on what you had given. The same root gave Swedish "gagn" and Danish "gavn," both still meaning profit or benefit. English took the word from Norse into Middle English as "gayn" or "gein," meaning profit or advantage, and it was later reinforced by Old French "gaaigne," which was closer in meaning to "to till, earn, win." That French verb came from a Frankish word meaning "to pasture, graze, hunt for food," tracing back to a Germanic root connected to "wide." So the verb sense of acquiring through effort blends a Norse idea of return with a French idea of working the land or hunting for a living.

Synonyms: acquire, obtain, secure, procure, earn

Antonyms: lose, forfeit, sacrifice, relinquish, waive