gain

cream (butterfat part of milk which rises to the top)

(figurative) cream (the best part of something)

gain (absolutive indefinite)
gaina (absolutive indefinite singular)
gainak (absolutive indefinite plural)
gainek (ergative indefinite)
gainak (ergative indefinite singular)
gainek (ergative indefinite plural)
gaini (dative indefinite)
gainari (dative indefinite singular)
gainei (dative indefinite plural)
gainen (genitive indefinite)
gainaren (genitive indefinite singular)
gainen (genitive indefinite plural)
gainekin (comitative indefinite)
gainarekin (comitative indefinite singular)
gainekin (comitative indefinite plural)
gainengatik (causative indefinite)
gainarengatik (causative indefinite singular)
gainengatik (causative indefinite plural)
gainentzat (benefactive indefinite)
gainarentzat (benefactive indefinite singular)
gainentzat (benefactive indefinite plural)
gainez (indefinite instrumental)
gainaz (indefinite instrumental singular)
gainez (indefinite instrumental plural)
gainetan (indefinite inessive)
gainean (indefinite inessive singular)
gainetan (indefinite inessive plural)
gainetako (indefinite locative)
gaineko (indefinite locative singular)
gainetako (indefinite locative plural)
gainetara (allative indefinite)
gainera (allative indefinite singular)
gainetara (allative indefinite plural)
gainetaraino (indefinite terminative)
gaineraino (indefinite singular terminative)
gainetaraino (indefinite plural terminative)
gainetarantz (directive indefinite)
gainerantz (directive indefinite singular)
gainetarantz (directive indefinite plural)
gainetarako (destinative indefinite)
gainerako (destinative indefinite singular)
gainetarako (destinative indefinite plural)
gainetatik (ablative indefinite)
gainetik (ablative indefinite singular)
gainetatik (ablative indefinite plural)
gainik (indefinite partitive)
gaintzat (indefinite prolative)

From Proto-Basque *gaiN, further etymology unknown.


gain

Looks like you’ve gained a new friend.

What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 16:26:

Another answers, ‘Let him be,
He loves to make parade of pain,
That with his piping he may gain
The praise that comes to constancy.’

1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXI, page 35:

The sick man gains daily.

Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 22:12:

(intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.

to gain a battle; to gain a case at law

(transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.

Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength.

1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:

to gain ground

I’m gaining (on you).

(intransitive, often with on) To grow more likely to catch or overtake someone.

to gain the top of a mountain

Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.

1908 February 19, Jack London, The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:

If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 18:15:

to gratify the queen, and gain the court

1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate.

I’ve been gaining.

Thinspo, bonespo, meanspo, sweetspo, anything that could motivate me not to eat, not to consume, not to gain, not to fail.

2020, Riley Willman, “Ana”, in Rapids Review (Anoka Ramsey Community College):

en-verb

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

gains (present singular third-person)
gaining (participle present)
gained (participle past)
gained (past)
gain (infinitive)

what you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts

what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

From Middle English gayn, 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 *ḱóm (“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”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“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, gaigner (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waiþanōn (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *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 wide.


gain

All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles:
And more regarding gaine than victorie:

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:

the lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain

When power is sought primarily for private gain, the social fabric decays and unravels.

2023 June 25, Charles Hugh Smith, The Corruption of POTUS, SCOTUS and SCROTUS:

Everyone shall share in the gains.

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

There follows the high and low-frequency replay equalization, which normally involves two adjustments with a further control allowing the replay gain to be set.

1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice, page 238:

(electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.

en-noun

gain (countable and uncountable, plural gains)


gain

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


gain

the gainest way

[...] many times his horse and he plunged over the head in deep mires, for he knew not the way, but took the gainest way in that woodness, that many times he was like to perish.

1485 July 14, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XX, in William Caxton, editor, Le Morte D’Arthur, volume 1:

(obsolete or dialectal) Straight, direct; near; short.

(obsolete or dialectal) Suitable; convenient; ready.

(dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.

(dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.

en-adj

gain (comparative more gain, superlative most gain)

more gain (comparative)
most gain (superlative)

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 gayn, gayne (“fitly, quickly”), from the adjective.


gain

(obsolete or dialectal) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.

(dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.

gain quiet ― fairly/pretty quiet


gain

(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.


gain

un gain de temps

un gain de productivité

a gain (of something), an instance of saving (something); an increase (in something)

(usually in the plural) winnings, earnings, takings

Inherited from Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, deverbal from the verb gaaignier (“to earn, gain, seize, conquer by force”) (whence Modern French gagner).


gain

From French gagner (“to gain”), compare Haitian Creole gen.


gain

(figurative) against, opposed to, counter to, opposing (usually used in religious and spiritual contexts)

English: gain (obsolete)

Scots: gain, gin

From Old English ġeġn, gæġn, from Proto-West Germanic *gagin, from Proto-Germanic *gagin; also influenced by Old Norse gegn, from the same Proto-Germanic form. Doublet of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”).


gain

Alternative form of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”)


gain

Alternative form of gayn (“gain, reward, advantage”)


gain

et donnoit chascun iour de son gaaing pour Dieu

15th century, Rustichello da Pisa (original author), Mazarine Master (scribe), The Travels of Marco Polo, page 19, line 16:

and every day he gave away some of his income for God

French: gain