English Online Dictionary. What means fair? What does fair mean?
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fɛə/, /fɛː/
- (General American) IPA(key): /fɛɚ/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /feː(ə)/
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /fɪə/
- Homophone: fare
- Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
Etymology 1
From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”).
Cognate with Scots fayr, fare (“fair”), Danish feir, faver, fager (“fair, pretty”), Norwegian fager (“fair, pretty”), Swedish fager (“fair, pretty”), Icelandic fagur (“beautiful, fair”), Umbrian pacer (“gracious, merciful, kind”), Slovak pekný (“good-looking, handsome, nice”). See also peace.
Adjective
fair (comparative fairer, superlative fairest)
- (archaic or literary) Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
- Synonyms: beautiful, pretty, lovely
- Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.
- Synonyms: pure, clean, neat
- 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, London, Observation 21, “Of Moss, and several other small vegetative Substances,” p. 135,[2]
- […] I have observ’d, that putting fair Water (whether Rain-water or Pump-water, or May-dew, or Snow-water, it was almost all one) I have often observ’d, I say, that this Water would, with a little standing, tarnish and cover all about the sides of the Glass that lay under water, with a lovely green […]
- Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond hair.
- Synonym: pale
- Just, equitable.
- Synonyms: honest, just, equitable
- Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.
- Synonyms: OK, okay
- (nautical, of a wind) Favorable to a ship's course.
- Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.
- Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.
- (shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
- (baseball) Between the baselines.
- (rugby, of a catch) Taken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.
- (cricket, of a ball delivered by the bowler) Not a no ball.
- (statistics) Of a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
fair (plural fair)
- Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).
- (obsolete) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.
- (obsolete) Fairness, beauty.
- A fair woman; a sweetheart.
- (obsolete) Good fortune; good luck.
Verb
fair (third-person singular simple present fairs, present participle fairing, simple past and past participle faired)
- (transitive) To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
- (transitive) To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
- (transitive, art) To make an animation smooth, removing any jerkiness.
- (transitive) To construct or design with the aim of producing a smooth outline or reducing air drag or water resistance.
- (transitive, obsolete) To make fair or beautiful.
Synonyms
- (to reduce air drag or water resistance): to streamline
Derived terms
- fair off
- fair up
- fairing
Translations
Adverb
fair (comparative more fair or fairer, superlative most fair or fairest)
- clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably
Derived terms
- bid fair
- fair and square
Etymology 2
From Middle English feyre, from Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.
Noun
fair (plural fairs)
- A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
- An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.
- An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.
- A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).
Derived terms
Translations
References
- “fair”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- fair in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
- “fair”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
- RIFA, fiar, rifa-
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɛːr/
- Hyphenation: fair
Etymology 1
Borrowed from English fair, from Middle English fayr, from Old English fæġer, from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz.
Adjective
fair (comparative fairer, superlative fairst)
- (colloquial, affected) fair (just, honest, equitable, adequate).
Inflection
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English fair, from Middle English feyre, from Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.
Noun
fair m (plural fairs)
- A fair (social event, type of market).
- Synonyms: braderie, jaarmarkt
- (rare) A funfair, carnival.
- Synonyms: foor, kermis
Related terms
- foor
German
Etymology
Borrowed from English fair, from Old English fæġer, from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz, whence also Middle High German vager (“splendid, wonderful”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɛːr/, [fɛːɐ̯], [feːɐ̯], [fɛɐ̯]
- Hyphenation: fair
Adjective
fair (strong nominative masculine singular fairer, comparative fairer, superlative am fairsten)
- (especially sports) fair (just, honest, equitable, adequate)
- Synonyms: anständig, ehrlich, gerecht, gleich, ausgeglichen, angemessen, sauber
- Antonym: unfair
- ein faires Spiel ― an honest game, a fairly played game
Declension
Derived terms
- Fairness (rarely Fairheit)
- Fairplay
- Fair-Use-Doktrin
Further reading
- “fair” in Duden online
- “fair” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Haitian Creole
Etymology
From French faire.
Verb
fair
- (Saint-Domingue) to do
- Ly doi fair nion l'autre quichoy avant cila là. ― He should do another thing before that one.
Descendants
- Haitian Creole: fè
References
- S.J Ducoeurjoly, Manuel des habitans de Saint-Domingue, contenant un précis de l'histoire de cette île
Hungarian
Etymology
From English fair.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈfɛr], [ˈfɛːr]
- Hyphenation: fair
- Rhymes: -ɛr
Adjective
fair (comparative fairebb, superlative legfairebb)
- fair (just, equitable)
- Synonyms: méltányos, tisztességes, becsületes, igazságos, korrekt, sportszerű
Declension
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- fair in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
- fair in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2023)
Irish
Etymology
See aire (“watching, attention”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [fˠaɾʲ]
Verb
fair (present analytic faireann, future analytic fairfidh, verbal noun faire, past participle fairthe)
- to watch
Conjugation
Mutation
Old Irish
Alternative forms
- foir
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [farʲ]
Pronoun
fair
- third-person singular masculine/neuter accusative of for
Polish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English fair.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɛr/
- Rhymes: -ɛr
- Syllabification: fair
Adjective
fair (not comparable)
- fair (just, equitable)
- Synonym: uczciwy
Declension
Indeclinable.
Adverb
fair (not comparable)
- fairly (in a fair manner)
- Synonym: uczciwie
Related terms
Further reading
- fair in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- fair in Polish dictionaries at PWN