Lexic.us

Definition of Faint

1. Adjective. Deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc. "A weak pulse"

2. Verb. Pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain.

3. Noun. A spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain.

4. Adjective. Lacking clarity or distinctness. "A few wispy memories of childhood"

5. Adjective. Lacking strength or vigor. "A feeble voice"

6. Adjective. Weak and likely to lose consciousness. "Light-headed from lack of sleep"

7. Adjective. Indistinctly understood or felt or perceived. "Haven't the faintest idea"

8. Adjective. Lacking conviction or boldness or courage. "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady"

Definition of Faint

1. a. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.

2. n. The act of fainting, or the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting, n.

3. v. i. To become weak or wanting in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with away. See Fainting, n.

4. v. t. To cause to faint or become dispirited; to depress; to weaken.

Definition of Faint

1. Adjective. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst. ¹

2. Adjective. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed. ¹

3. Adjective. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound. ¹

4. Adjective. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance. ¹

5. Noun. The act of fainting. ¹

6. Noun. (rare) The state of one who has fainted; a swoon. ¹

7. Verb. (intransitive) To lose consciousness. Caused by a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of a suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions). ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Faint

1. lacking strength or vigor [adj FAINTER, FAINTEST] / to lose consciousness [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Faint

1. 1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst. 2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." 3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint colour, or sound. 4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance. "The faint prosecution of the war." (Sir J. Davies) Origin: OE. Faint, feint, false, faint, F. Feint, p.p. Of feindre to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Faign, and cf. Feint. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Faint

fainaiguing faine faineance faineances faineant faineants fained fainer faines fainest

faining fainites fainly fainness fains faint (current term) faint-hearted faint of heart fainted fainter

fainters faintest fainteth fainthearted faintheartedly faintheartedness faintheartednesses faintier faintiest fainting

Literary usage of Faint

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1894)
"faint, " faint " " " " faint, " faint. In one case there was no albumin. ... 2.376 1.028 1.674 1.013 1.998 1.026 1.89 1.031 In cases with faint traces of ..."

2. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1844)
"O sir, said she, I am faint; there is scarce life left in me. But he answered, that one once said, " When my soul fainted ..."

3. Hunger by Knut Hamsun (1921)
"ceaseless faint murmur that it began to bewilder me; it was surely a symphony from the rolling ... I was faint, and now and again I had to retch furtively. ..."

4. A Dictionary of English Etymology by Hensleigh Wedgwood (1862)
"Ein mattes licht, a faint light. Das bier schmeckt matt, tastes flat. Gael. meat, feeble, soft, faint-hearted. Pol. mat, pale in colour, dim. See Amate. ..."

5. The Lancet (1842)
"I bled him to sixteen ounces, which did not make him faint, and ordered the ... I bled him again to twenty-four ounces, after which he felt тегу faint, ..."

6. Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1897)
"other spheres, to feel this faint jerk, which came to interrupt your dreams and link you to Nature again. It seemed as if I might next cast my line upward ..."

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