gain
nounEtymology
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.
The act of gaining; acquisition.
- People are more willing to take a risk to avoid a loss than to make a gain.
- All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles: And more regarding gaine than victorie:c. 1587–1588 (date written), [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:
2 more examples
- the lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain1855, Alfred Tennyson, Maude:
- 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:
The thing or things gained.
- 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]:
Business, Electrical engineering, Electricity, Electromagnetism, Electronics, Energy, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
- 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:
- Antonyms
- loss
- Derived terms
30 terms
autogain, brain-gain, brain gain, capital gain, gainful, gain-ground, gainless, gain-of-function, gain of function, gain-of-function research, gainsharing, gain-sharing, gainside, gainsome, gain twist, gainwise, gainword, gainworthy, line to gain, loss and gain are brothers twain, maingain, no gain without pain, one man's loss is another man's gain, photogain, solar gain, time-compensated gain, time-gain compensation, time-varied gain, time-varied gain control, weight gain