1. Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; — mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase
without fail. "His highness' fail of issue." Shak.
2. Death; decease. [Obs.] Shak.
Failance
(Fail"ance) n. [Of. faillance, fr. faillir.] Fault; failure; omission. [Obs.] Bp. Fell.
Failing
(Fail"ing), n.
1. A failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency; imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a
mental failing.
And ever in her mind she cast about
For that unnoticed failing in herself.
Tennyson. 2. The act of becoming insolvent of bankrupt.
Syn. — See Fault.
Faille
(||Faille) n. [F.] A soft silk, heavier than a foulard and not glossy.
Failure
(Fail"ure) n. [From Fail.]
1. Cessation of supply, or total defect; a failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of crops.
2. Omission; nonperformance; as, the failure to keep a promise.
3. Want of success; the state of having failed.
4. Decay, or defect from decay; deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of sight.
5. A becoming insolvent; bankruptcy; suspension of payment; as, failure in business.
6. A failing; a slight fault. [Obs.] Johnson.
Fain
(Fain) a. [OE. fain, fagen, AS. fægen; akin to OS. fagan, Icel. faginn glad; AS. fægnian to rejoice,
OS. faganon, Icel. fagna, Goth. faginon, cf. Goth. faheds joy; and fr. the same root as E. fair. Srr
Fair, a., and cf. Fawn to court favor.]
1. Well-pleased; glad; apt; wont; fond; inclined.
Men and birds are fain of climbing high.
Shak.
To a busy man, temptation is fainto climb up together with his business.
Jer. Taylor. 2. Satisfied; contented; also, constrained. Shak.
The learned Castalio was fain to make trechers at Basle to keep himself from starving.
Locke. Fain
(Fain), adv. With joy; gladly; — with wold.
He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat.
Luke xv. 16.
Fain Would I woo her, yet I dare not.
Shak. Fain
(Fain), v. t. & i. To be glad ; to wish or desire. [Obs.]
Whoso fair thing does fain to see.
Spencer.
