“gained” is a form of
gain
/ɡeɪn/ verb, noun, preposition, adjective, adverb, proper noun
Forms gains gaining gained gain'd gainest gainedst gaineth
- verb (transitive) To acquire possession of. “Looks like you’ve gained a new friend.”
- verb (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress. “The sick man gains daily.”
- verb (transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition. “to gain a battle; to gain a case at law”
- verb (transitive) To increase.
- verb (intransitive, often with on) To grow more likely to catch or overtake someone. “to gain ground”
- verb (transitive) To reach. “to gain the top of a mountain”
- verb To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate.
- verb (intransitive) To put on weight. “I’ve been gaining.”
- noun The act of gaining; acquisition. “People are more willing to take a risk to avoid a loss than to make a gain.”
- noun The thing or things gained.
- noun (electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
- preposition (obsolete) Against.
- adjective (obsolete or dialectal) Straight, direct; near; short. “the gainest way”
- adjective (obsolete or dialectal) Suitable; convenient; ready.
- adjective (dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
- adjective (dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
- adverb (obsolete or dialectal) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
- adverb (dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
- adverb (dialectal) Tolerably; fairly. “gain quiet”
- noun (architecture) A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.
Synonyms
addition increase profit amplification derive acquire win benefit reach make attain hit arrive at advance pull ahead make headway get ahead gain ground gather take in clear earn realize realise pull in bring in put on
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English gayn, gain, gein (“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn (“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą (“gain, profit", literally "return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana (“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- (“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”).
Cognate with Icelandic gagn (“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn (“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn (“gain, profit, success”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn (“ready”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna (“to avail, help”), Danish gavne (“to benefit”).
The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain (“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier, gaigner (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waiþanōn (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþō, *waiþijō (“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn (“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide (“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða (“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan (“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wide.
From dialectal English gen, gin, short for again, agen (“against”); also Middle English gain, gayn, gein, ȝæn (“against”), from Old English gēan, geġn (“against”). More at against.
From Middle English gayn, gein, geyn (“straight, direct, short, fit, good”), from Old Norse gegn (“straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable, kindly”), from gegn (“opposite, against”, adverb) (whence gagna (“to go against, meet, suit, be meet”)); see above. Adverb from Middle English gayn, gayne (“fitly, quickly”), from the adjective.
Compare Welsh gan (“a mortise”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A square or beveled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.
- adjective Convenient; suitable; direct; near; handy; dexterous; easy; profitable; cheap; respectable. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
- noun That which is gained, obtained, or acquired, as increase, profit, advantage, or benefit; --opposed to loss.
- noun The obtaining or amassing of profit or valuable possessions; acquisition; accumulation. "The lust of gain." Tennyson.
Etymology [Cf. W. gan a mortise.]
Etymology [OE. gein, gain, good, near, quick; cf. Icel. gegn ready, serviceable, and gegn, adv., against, opposite. CF. Ahain.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details