fain
Other forms: fainer; fainest; fainly; fains
The old-fashioned adverb fain describes the manner of gladly or willingly doing something. You would fain have stayed home, but you had to venture out in the rain.
Fain comes from the Old English fægen, meaning "happy, glad, or well pleased." When you're fain to do something, you are happy to do it, like when you're exhausted and would fain take a nap. Sometimes fain is also used as an adjective to describe someone obligated or willing to do something: "He was fain to hand over half the lemonade stand money to his little brother."
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having made preparations
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in a willing manner
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Vocabulary lists containing fain
Sparks fly when Romeo and Juliet first meet, but their families are sworn enemies locked in an ancient feud. Learn these words from Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed love.
Shakespeare's famous tragedy tells the story of a Danish prince who must decide whether or not to avenge his father's death.
Brutus is a trusted confidant of the Roman general Julius Caesar, but when he becomes convinced that Caesar's ambitions are a threat to the republic, he plots his friend's assassination.