Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gain-

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English

Syllables: gain-
IPA

5

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Prefix meaning "against", "contrary to", "in opposition to", "counter-".

prefix

Prefix denoting reciprocal action; "in return"; "counter-".

prefix

Prefix denoting restoration or a return to a previous state; "back again".

prefix

Prefix denoting repetition; "over again"; "anew"; again-.

Example Sentences

"gainsay, gainstand, gainstay, gainstrive"
"gainclap, gaingive, gainyield"
"gainbuy, gaincover, gaintake"
"gainrising, gaincoming"

Etymology

From Middle English gain- (prefix), from Old English geġn-, gēan- (“back, against, in return”, prefix), from Proto-West Germanic *gagin, from Proto-Germanic *gagin (“towards, against”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian juun- (“counter-”), West Frisian tsjin- (“counter-”), Dutch tegen- (“counter-”), German gegen- (“against, toward, at”), Icelandic gagn- (“through”). More at again.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: gain-, geġn-, *gagin

Inflected Forms

gane- (alternative)

Derived Forms

gainbite gaincome gaincope gaindo gaingiving gainsay gainstand gainstrive gaintwist

Questions

What does gain- mean?: Prefix meaning "against", "contrary to", "in opposition to", "counter-".
Where does gain- come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce gain-

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gain-”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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