gain

English

/ɡeɪn/

verb
Definitions
  • (transitive) To acquire possession of.
  • (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
  • (transitive) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
  • (transitive) To increase.
  • (intransitive) To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
  • (transitive) To reach.
  • To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
  • (intransitive) To put on weight.
  • (of a clock or watch) To run fast.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gayn (direct, helpful, gain, good, fast) derived from Old Norse gagn (benefit, advantage, use) derived from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gagana (in return, back, against), *ga- (co-, together, with, collective and associative prefix) derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (with, along, next to, at, by, beside, near) derived from Middle French gain (profit, advancement, gain, cultivation) derived from Old French gaaing derived from Frankish *waidanjan (get food, graze, hunt, pasture, forage, hunt for food) derived from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz.

Origin

Proto-Germanic

*waiþiz

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms