fain
fain · fainer · fainest
Chiefly preceded or followed by wouldChiefly preceded or followed by would.: With joy or pleasure; gladly.
/feɪn/
» As when a wounded bull / shakes from his neck the faltering axe and, fain / to fly the cruel altars, roars in pain.
carlosalberto · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesChiefly preceded or followed by would.
(archaic, obsolete)With joy or pleasure; gladly.
with pleasure
(archaic, obsolete)By choice or will; willingly.
Examples
1 sentencesAs when a wounded bull / shakes from his neck the faltering axe and, fain / to fly the cruel altars, roars in pain.
Origin
From Middle English fain (“eagerly, willingly; gladly, joyfully”), from fain (adjective):From Middle English fain (“eagerly, willingly; gladly, joyfully”), from fain (adjective): see etymology 1.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source