faint. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

faint

PRONUNCIATION:	fnt
ADJECTIVE:	Inflected forms: faint·er, faint·est 1. Lacking strength or vigor; feeble. 2. Lacking conviction, boldness, or courage; timid. 3a. Lacking brightness: a faint light in the gloom. b. Lacking clarity or distinctness: a faint recollection. 4. Likely to fall into a faint; dizzy and weak: felt faint for a moment.
NOUN:	An abrupt, usually brief loss of consciousness, generally associated with failure of normal blood circulation. See synonyms at blackout.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: faint·ed, faint·ing, faints 1. To fall into a usually brief state of unconsciousness. 2. Archaic To weaken in purpose or spirit.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, deceitful, cowardly, from Old French, past participle of feindre, to feign. See feign.
OTHER FORMS:	fainter —NOUN faintly —ADVERB faintness —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.