fainéant

1 of 2

noun

fai·​né·​ant fā-nā-ˈäⁿ 

plural fainéants fā-nā-ˈäⁿ(z) 

: an irresponsible idler

fainéant

2 of 2

adjective

fai·​né·​ant fā-nā-ˈäⁿ 

variants or faineant

ˈfā-nē-ənt 

: idle and ineffectual : indolent

Did you know?

You've probably guessed that fainéant was borrowed from French; it derives from fait-nient, which literally means "does nothing," and ultimately traces back to the verb faindre, or feindre, meaning "to feign." (The English word feign is also descended from this verb, as are faint and feint.) Fainéant first appeared in print in the early 17th century as a noun meaning "an irresponsible idler," and by 1854 it was also being used as an adjective. As its foreignness suggests, fainéant tends to be used when the context calls for a fancier or more elegant word than inactive or sluggish.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French fai-neant, from fait "does, makes" (third person singular of faire "to make, do") + neant "nothing, nil" (probably going back to Vulgar Latin *ne … gentem "no people, no one"), alteration by folk etymology of faignant, feignant, present participle of feindre "to dissemble, pretend to be, evade, shirk" — more at feign

Adjective

borrowed from French — more at fainéant entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1619, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1854, in the meaning defined above

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