Gain

How to spell gain

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce gain

What does gain mean?

1. verbTo obtain, acquire, or increase something, especially through effort.
2. nounAn increase, profit, or advantage that has been obtained.

Gain in a sentence

• verb

  The extra training helped her gain confidence before the interview.

• noun

  The report showed a modest gain in quarterly revenue.

• verb

  Investors hope to gain a steady return over the next decade.

• noun

  Any short-term gain from the deal will be taxed heavily.

Where does gain come from?

Language of origin: French

The word entered English in the late 1400s from the Old French noun gain, meaning 'profit' or 'earnings', alongside its verb gaaignier, 'to earn, win, or gain'. The French forms themselves grew from a Germanic root carried into France by the Franks; that root originally referred to hunting, foraging, or working the land for food, so the earliest sense was closer to 'to forage' or 'to till and harvest'. From the idea of winning a living off the land, the meaning broadened to winning or acquiring anything of value, whether money, advantage, or skill. The spelling has stayed reassuringly simple, with the 'ai' giving the long 'ay' sound, which makes it one of the rare French borrowings that never grew a silent tail. Today the noun and verb sit side by side, both pointing back to that old notion of working hard for what you get.

How the word is built

• gain (single root from Old French gain: profit, earnings); no prefix or suffix