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Webster 1913 Edition

Gain

Gain

,
Noun.
[Cf. W.
gan
a mortise.]
(Arch.)
A square or beveled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.

Gain

,
Adj.
[OE.
gein
,
gain
, good, near, quick; cf. Icel.
gegn
ready, serviceable, and
gegn
, adv., against, opposite. Cf.
Again
.]
Convenient; suitable; direct; near; handy; dexterous; easy; profitable; cheap; respectable.
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Gain

(gān)
,
Noun.
[OE.
gain
,
gein
,
gaȝhen
, gain, advantage, Icel.
gagn
; akin to Sw.
gagn
, Dan.
gavn
, cf. Goth.
gageigan
to gain. The word was prob. influenced by F.
gain
gain, OF.
gaain
. Cf.
Gain
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
That which is gained, obtained, or acquired, as increase, profit, advantage, or benefit; – opposed to
loss
.
But what things were
gain
to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Phil. iii. 7.
Godliness with contentment is great
gain
.
1 Tim. vi. 6.
Every one shall share in the
gains
.
Shakespeare
2.
The obtaining or amassing of profit or valuable possessions; acquisition; accumulation.
“The lust of gain.”
Tennyson.

Gain

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Gained
(gānd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Gaining
.]
[From
gain
,
Noun.
but. prob. influenced by F.
gagner
to earn, gain, OF.
gaaignier
to cultivate, OHG.
weidinōn
,
weidinen
to pasture, hunt, fr.
weida
pasturage, G.
weide
, akin to Icel.
veiðr
hunting, AS.
wāðu
, cf. L.
venari
to hunt, E.
venison
. See
Gain
,
Noun.
, profit.]
1.
To get, as profit or advantage; to obtain or acquire by effort or labor;
as, to
gain
a good living
.
What is a man profited, if he shall
gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Matt. xvi. 26.
To
gain
dominion, or to keep it
gained
.
Milton.
For fame with toil we
gain
, but lose with ease.
Pope.
2.
To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition;
as, to
gain
a battle; to
gain
a case at law; to
gain
a prize.
3.
To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast
gained
thy brother.
Matt. xviii. 15.
To gratify the queen, and
gained
the court.
Dryden.
4.
To reach; to attain to; to arrive at;
as, to
gain
the top of a mountain; to
gain
a good harbor.
Forded Usk and
gained
the wood.
Tennyson.
5.
To get, incur, or receive, as loss, harm, or damage.
[Obs. or Ironical]
Ye should . . . not have loosed from Crete, and to have
gained
this harm and loss.
Acts xxvii. 21.
Syn. – To obtain; acquire; get; procure; win; earn; attain; achieve.
See
Obtain
. –
To Gain
,
Win
. Gain implies only that we get something by exertion; win, that we do it in competition with others. A person gains knowledge, or gains a prize, simply by striving for it; he wins a victory, or wins a prize, by taking it in a struggle with others.

Gain

,
Verb.
I.
To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress;
as, the sick man
gains
daily
.
Thou hast greedily
gained
of thy neighbors by extortion.
Ezek. xxii. 12.
Gaining twist
,
in rifled firearms, a twist of the grooves, which increases regularly from the breech to the muzzle.
To gain on
or
To gain upon
.
(a)
To encroach on;
as, the ocean
gains on
the land
.
(b)
To obtain influence with.
(c)
To win ground upon; to move faster than, as in a race or contest.
(d)
To get the better of; to have the advantage of.

The English have not only
gained upon
the Venetians in the Levant, but have their cloth in Venice itself.
Addison.
My good behavior had so far
gained on
the emperor, that I began to conceive hopes of liberty.
Swift.

Webster 1828 Edition

Gain

GAIN

,
Verb.
T.
[Heb. to gain, to possess.]
1.
To obtain by industry or the employment of capital; to get as profit or advantage; to acquire. Any industrious person may gain a good living in America; but it is less difficult to gain property, than it is to use it with prudence. Money at interest may gain five, six, or seven per cent.
What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,and lose his own soul? Matt.16.
2.
To win; to obtain by superiority or success; as, to gain a battle or a victory; to gain a prize; to gain a cause in law.
3.
To obtain; to acquire; to procure; to receive; as, to gain favor; to gain reputation.
For fame with toil we gain, but lose with ease.
4.
To obtain an increase of anything; as, to gain time.
5.
To obtain or receive anything, good or bad; as, to gain harm and loss. Acts. 27.
6.
To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
To gratify the queen,and gain the court.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matt.18.
7.
To obtain as a suitor.
8.
To reach; to attain to; to arrive at; as, to gain the top of a mountain; to gain a good harbor.
To gain into, to draw or persuade to join in.
He gained Lepidus into his measures.
To gain over, to draw to another party or interest; to win over.
To gain ground, to advance in any undertaking; to prevail; to acquire strength or extent; to increase.

GAIN

,
Verb.
I.
To have advantage or profit; to grow rich; to advance in interest or happiness.
Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion. Ezek. 22.
1.
To encroach; to advance on; to come forward by degrees; with on; as, the ocean or river gains on the land.
2.
To advance nearer; to gain ground on; with on; as, a fleet horse gains on his competitor.
3.
To get ground; to prevail against or have the advantage.
The English have not only gained upon the Venetians in the Levant, but have their cloth in Venice itself.
4.
To obtain influence with.
My good behavior had so far gained on the emperor,that I began to conceive hopes of liberty.
To gain the wind, in sea language, is to arrive on the windward side of another ship.

GAIN

,
Noun.
Profit; interest; something obtained as an advantage.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Phil.3.
1.
Unlawful advantage. 2 Cor.12.
2.
Overplus in computation; any thing opposed to loss.

GAIN

,
Noun.
In architecture, a beveling shoulder; a lapping of timbers, or the cut that is made for receiving a timber.

GAIN

,
Adj.
Handy; dexterous.

Definition 2024

gain

gain

See also: gain- and ga in

English

Preposition

gain

  1. (obsolete) Against.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English gayn, gein, geyn ‎(“straight, direct, short, fit, good”), from Old Norse gegn ‎(“straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable, kindly”), from gegn ‎(“opposite, against”, adverb) (whence gagna ‎(“to go against, meet, suit, be meet”)); see below at gain. Adverb from Middle English gayne ‎(“fitly, quickly”), from the adjective.

Adjective

gain ‎(comparative more gain, superlative most gain)

  1. (obsolete) Straight, direct; near; short.
    the gainest way
  2. (obsolete) Suitable; convenient; ready.
  3. (dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
  4. (dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
Derived terms

Adverb

gain ‎(comparative more gain, superlative most gain)

  1. (obsolete) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
  2. (dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
  3. (dialectal) Tolerably; fairly.
    gain quiet (= fairly/pretty quiet)

Etymology 3

From Middle English gain, gein ‎(“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn ‎(“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą ‎(“gain, profit", literally "return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana ‎(“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- ‎(“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *kom ‎(“next to, at, with, along”). Cognate with Icelandic gagn ‎(“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn ‎(“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn ‎(“gain, profit, success”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 ‎(gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn ‎(“ready”), Swedish dialectal gen ‎(“useful, noteful”), Latin cum ‎(“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gainen ‎(“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna ‎(“to avail, help”), Danish gavne ‎(“to benefit”).

The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain ‎(“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier ‎(“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waidanjan ‎(“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþī, *waiþō, *waiþijō ‎(“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn ‎(“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide ‎(“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða ‎(“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan ‎(“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wathe, wide.

Noun

gain ‎(countable and uncountable, plural gains)

  1. The act of gaining.
    • Tennyson
      the lust of gain
  2. What is gained.
    No pain, no gain.
    • Shakespeare
      Everyone shall share in the gains.
  3. (electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.

Derived terms

  • high-gain
  • low-gain
  • medium-gain
Translations
Antonyms
Derived terms

Verb

gain ‎(third-person singular simple present gains, present participle gaining, simple past and past participle gained)

  1. (transitive) To acquire possession of.
    Looks like you've gained a new friend.
    • Bible, Matthew xvi. 26
      What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
    • Alexander Pope
      For fame with toil we gain, but lose with ease.
  2. (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
    The sick man gains daily.
    • Bible, Ezekiel xxii. 12
      Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion.
  3. (transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
    to gain a battle; to gain a case at law
  4. (transitive) To increase.
  5. (intransitive) To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
    I'm gaining (on you).
    gain ground
  6. (transitive) To reach.
    to gain the top of a mountain
    • 1907, Jack London, The Iron Heel:
      Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.
  7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
    • Bible, Matthew xviii. 15
      If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
    • Dryden
      to gratify the queen, and gain the court
  8. (intransitive) To put on weight.
    I've been gaining.
  9. (of a clock or watch) To run fast.
Translations

Etymology 4

Compare Welsh gan ‎(“a mortise”).

Noun

gain ‎(plural gains)

  1. (architecture) A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.

Anagrams

Basque

Noun

gain

  1. summit

French

Etymology

From Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, from the verb gaaignier ‎(“to earn, gain, seize, conquer by force”), from Old Frankish *waidanjan ‎(“to graze, forage, hunt”), from Proto-Germanic *waiþō ‎(“a hunt, pasture, food”), from Proto-Indo-European *weye- ‎(“to go, seek, crave, hunt, desire, drive”). Cognate with Old High German weidanōn ‎(“to hunt, chase”), German Weide ‎(“pasture, pasturage”). Compare also related Old French gain ‎(“harvest time, revival”), from Old Frankish *waida ‎(“income, food, fodder”) (whence French regain), from the same Germanic source.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɛ̃/

Noun

gain m ‎(plural gains)

  1. (chiefly in the plural) winnings, earnings, takings
  2. (finance) gain, yield

Middle French

Etymology

Old French gaaing.

Noun

gain m (plural gains)

  1. income (financial)
    • 15th century, Rustichello da Pisa (original author), Mazarine Master (scribe), The Travels of Marco Polo, page 19, line 16:
      et donnoit chascun iour de son gaaing pour Dieu
      and every day he gave away some of his income for God

Descendants

References

  • gain on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) (in French)

Welsh

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡai̯n/

Adjective

gain

  1. Soft mutation of cain.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
cain gain nghain chain
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Etymology

From dialectal English gen, gin, short for again, agen ‎(“against”); also Middle English gayn, gein, ȝæn ‎(“against”), from Old English gēan, geġn ‎(“against”). More at against.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡeɪn/
  • Rhymes: -eɪn

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