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Faineant

[-uhnts; Fr. -ahn

Origin

adjective

Also, fai·ne·ant

[fey-nee-uhnt] . idle; indolent.

noun

an idler.

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Faineant is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Origin:
1610–20; < French, earlier fait-nient, literally, he does nothing, pseudo-etymological alteration of Old French faignant idler, noun use of present participle of se faindre to shirk. See feign, faint

Related forms

fai·ne·ance

[fey-nee-uhns] , noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

faineant

1610s (n.), from Fr. fainéant (16c.) do-nothing, from fait, third person singular present tense of faire + néant nothing (cf. dolce far niente). As an adj., from 1855.

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Faineant

fai·né·ant