c.1300, "wanting in courage," now mostly in faint-hearted (c.1440), from O.Fr. faint "soft, weak, sluggish," pp. of faindre "avoid one's duty by pretending" (see feign). Sense of "weak, feeble" is c.1320. Meaning "producing a feeble impression upon the senses" is from 1660. The v. originally meant "to lose heart" (c.1350); sense of "swoon" is c.1400.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc; "a faint outline"; "the wan sun cast faint shadows"; "the faint light of a distant candle"; "weak colors"; "a faint hissing sound"; "a faint aroma"; "a weak pulse"
2.
lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" [syn: dim]
3.
lacking strength or vigor; "damning with faint praise"; "faint resistance"; "feeble efforts"; "a feeble voice"
4.
weak and likely to lose consciousness; "suddenly felt faint from the pain"; "was sick and faint from hunger"; "felt light in the head"; "a swooning fit"; "light-headed with wine"; "light-headed from lack of sleep"
5.
indistinctly understood or felt or perceived; "a faint clue to the origin of the mystery"; "haven't the faintest idea"
6.
lacking conviction or boldness or courage; "faint heart ne'er won fair lady"
noun
1.
a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
verb
1.
pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
Faint\ (f[=a]nt), a. [Compar. Fainter (-[~e]r); superl. Faintest.] [OE. feint, faint, false, faint, F. feint, p. p. of feindre to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Feign, and cf. Feint.]1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst. 2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." --Old Proverb. 3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound. 4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance. The faint prosecution of the war. --Sir J. Davies.
Faint\, n. The act of fainting, or the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting, n. The saint, Who propped the Virgin in her faint. --Sir W. Scott.
Faint\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fainting.]1. To become weak or wanting in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with away. See Fainting, n. Hearing the honor intended her, she fainted away. --Guardian. If I send them away fasting . . . they will faint by the way. --Mark viii. 8. 2. To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. --Prov. xxiv. 10. 3. To decay; to disappear; to vanish. Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint before the eye. --Pope.
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