fayne

Verb

feign (third-person singular simple present feigns, present participle feigning, simple past and past participle feigned)

1. To make a false show or pretence of; to counterfeit or simulate.
   • The pupil feigned sickness on the day of his exam.

   Synonyms:

   front, put on airs

2. To imagine; to invent; to pretend to do something.
   • He feigned that he had gone home at the appointed time.
3. To make an action as if doing one thing, but actually doing another, for example to trick an opponent; to feint.
   • Cahill was beaten far too easily for Miller's goal, although the striker deserves the credit for the way he controlled Alan Hutton's right-wing delivery, with his back to goal, feigned to his left then went the other way and pinged a splendid left-foot shot into Hart's bottom right-hand corner.14 August 2013, Daniel Taylor, “Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland”, in The Guardian

Adjective

fain (comparative more fain, superlative most fain)

1. (UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic) Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
   • VVhat is the truſt or ſtrength of fooliſh man? / They that of late vvere daring vvith their ſcoffes, / Are glad and faine by flight to ſaue themſelues.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
   1. (UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic) Glad, contented, or satisfied to do something in the absence of a better alternative.
      • [T]hey vvere faine to patche uppe the Matter vvith a little piece of Paper clappid over the foreſaid VVordes, […]1559, John Strype, quoting John Feckenham, “[An Appendix; being a Repository of Faithful Extracts out of Various Records and Registers, […].] Numb[er] IX. The Oration of the Reverend Father in God...
   2. (UK, archaic, broadly, dialectal, poetic) Compelled or obliged to.
      • Penker in his ſermõ [sermon] ſo loſt his voice that he was faine to leaue of [off] & come downe in the middes.c. 1513 (date written), Thomas More, “The History of King Richard the Thirde (Vnfinished) […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London...
2. (UK, archaic, dialectal) Chiefly followed by to, or (obsolete) for or of: eager or willing, or inclined.
   • Man and Birds are fayne of climbing high.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...

   Synonyms:

   disposed, keen, lief, raring

   Antonyms:

   averse, disinclined, loath, reluctant, unwilling

3. (archaic, obsolete, except in fair and fain) Favourable, well-disposed.
   • I felt a spirit of love begin to stir / Within my heart, long time unfelt till then; / And saw Love coming towards me, fair and fain, / (That I scarce knew him for his joyful cheer,) / Saying, "Be now indeed my worshipper!".1861, Dante Alighieri, “The New Life. (La Vita Nuova.)”, in Dante Gabriel Rossetti, transl., The Early Italian Poets from Ciullo D’Alcamo to Dante Alighieri […], London: Smith, Elder and Co., […]...
4. (archaic, obsolete) Accustomed, apt, wont.
   • [S]carcely ſhe could ryde, / And eke through heauie armes, vvhich ſore annoyd / The Prince on foot, not vvonted ſo to fare; / VVhoſe ſteadie hand vvas faine his ſteede to guyde, / And all the vvay from trotting hard to ſpare, / So vvas his toyle the more, the more that vvas his care.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 37, page 118

See all 14 meanings of fain