fawn

English

A fawn.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɔːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /fɔn/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /fɑn/
• Homophone: faun
• Rhymes: -ɔːn

Etymology 1

From Middle English fawne, fowne, foun, from Old French faon, foon, feon, from Vulgar Latin *fētōnem, from Latin fētus (“offspring, young”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Displaced native Old English hindċealf (literally “deer calf”). Doublet of fetus.

Noun

fawn (plural fawns)

2. A young deer.

   Synonym: deerling

3. A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.

   fawn:  

4. (obsolete) The young of an animal; a whelp.
   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

     she [the tigress] rageth upon the shore and the sands, for the losse of her fawnes

Derived terms

• fawn antechinus
• in fawn

Translations

young deer

• Albanian: viç (sq) m (dreri)
• Arabic: رِيم (ar) m (rīm)
• Belarusian: аленяня́ n (aljenjanjá)
• Breton: menn-karv (br) m, karvig (br) m
• Bulgarian: еленче n (elenče)
• Catalan: cervatell (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小鹿 (zh) (xiǎolù), 麛 (zh) (mí)

• Cornish: leugh m
• Czech: kolouch (cs) m, srnče (cs) n
• Danish: (hjorte)kalv (da), (of a roe (da)) (rå)lam (da)
• Dolgan: тугут (tugut)
• Dutch: hertenjong (nl) n, reekalf (nl) n
• Esperanto: cervido
• Estonian: hirvevasikas
• Finnish: vasa (fi)
• French: faon (fr) m
• Galician: cervato
• German: Damkalb n (fallow deer), Hirschkalb (de) n (red deer), Rehkitz (de) n (roe deer)
• Greek: ελαφάκι (el) n (elafáki)

  Ancient: νεβρός m or f (nebrós)

• Hebrew: עֹפֶר (he) m (ófer)
• Hungarian: őzborjú (hu), őzgida (hu)
• Icelandic: hindarkálfur m
• Indonesian: anak rusa
• Irish: oisín (ga) m, lao eilite m
• Italian: cerbiatto (it) m
• Japanese: 子鹿 (ja) (こじか, kojika)
• Klamath-Modoc: wil'e
• Korean: 새끼사슴 (saekkisaseum)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: xifş (ku) f, karxezal (ku) f

• Latin: hinnuleus m
• Macedonian: срнче n (srnče)
• Middle English: foun
• Navajo: bįįh yáázh
• Northern Sami: miessi
• Old English: hindċealf n
• Persian: آهوبره (fa) (âhu-barre), گودر (fa) (gudar)
• Polish: jelonek (pl) m
• Portuguese: corço (pt) m
• Romanian: ied (ro) m
• Russian: оленёнок (ru) m (olenjónok)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срнче n, лане n

  Roman: srnče (sh) n, lane (sh) n

• Slovak: kolouch m, sŕňa n
• Spanish: cervatillo (es) m, cervato (es) m, gabato m
• Swedish: kid (sv) c, kalv (sv) c
• Tagalog: kigaw
• Ukrainian: оленя́тко n (olenjátko)
• Volapük: stägül (vo) m or f, histägül m, jistägül f
• Welsh: elain f

colour

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 淡黃褐色 / 淡黄褐色 (dànhuáng hésè)

• Danish: dådyrfarve c
• Dutch: reebruin (nl) n
• Finnish: vaaleanruskea (fi)
• German: hellbraun (de), beigebraun; (of hair also) dunkelblond (de)
• Hungarian: őzbarna (hu)
• Icelandic: gulbrúnn
• Irish: osbhuí m
• Italian: fulvo chiaro m, marrone chiaro m
• Japanese: 淡黄褐色 (たんおうかっしょく, tan'ōkasshoku)
• Maori: karakatea
• Polish: płowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: fulvo (pt) m
• Romanian: cafeniu (ro)
• Russian: желтовато-кори́чневый (ru) m (želtovato-koríčnevyj) (цвет (cvet)), па́левый (ru) m (pálevyj) (цвет (cvet))
• Spanish: beis (es) m, marrón claro m
• Turkish: açık kahverengi (tr)
• Volapük: stägülaköl

young of an animal

• German: Junge (de) n
• Polish: młode (pl) n

Adjective

fawn (not comparable)

1. Of the fawn colour.

Derived terms

• fawn lily

Translations

pertaining to the colour

• Czech: světle hnědý, plavý (cs)
• Danish: lysebrun, dådyrfarvet
• Dutch: reebruin (nl)
• Finnish: vaaleanruskea (fi)
• German: beige (de), rehbraun (de)
• Hungarian: őzbarna (hu)
• Irish: osbhuí, buídhonn
• Italian: fulvo (it)
• Polish: płowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: fulvo (pt)
• Romanian: cafeniu (ro)
• Volapük: stägülakölik

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 淡黄褐色 (たんおうかっしょく, tan'ōkasshoku), ^{(please verify)} 甘える (ja) (amaeru)

Verb

fawn (third-person singular simple present fawns, present participle fawning, simple past and past participle fawned)

1. (intransitive) To give birth to a fawn.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fawnen, from Old English fagnian, alternative form of fæġnian (“to celebrate”), whence Middle English fainen, English fain. Cognate with Old Norse fagna. See also fain.

Verb

fawn (third-person singular simple present fawns, present participle fawning, simple past and past participle fawned)

1. (intransitive) To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
2. (intransitive) To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour. [with on or upon]

   Synonyms: grovel, wheedle, soft-soap, toady

   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds.

   • 1671, John Milton, Paradise Regained, book 1:

     Thou with trembling fear, / Or like a fawning parasite, obeyest.

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XXIII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     courtiers who fawn on a master while they betray him

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.

3. (intransitive, of a dog) To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc.

Derived terms

• fawn over
• overfawn

Translations

to exhibit affection

• Danish: logre
• Dutch: vleien (nl)
• Finnish: olla mieliksi
• German: anhimmeln (de)
• Italian: dimostrare affetto
• Polish: łasić się (pl)
• Portuguese: agradar (pt)
• Romanian: alinta (ro), răsfăța (ro)
• Russian: ласка́ться (ru) (laskátʹsja), ла́ститься (ru) (lástitʹsja)

to seek favour by flattery

• Arabic: تَزَلَّفَ (tazallafa), تَمَلَّقَ (tamallaqa)
• Bulgarian: лаская (bg) (laskaja), подмазвам се (podmazvam se)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 擦鞋 (caat³ haai⁴)

  Mandarin: 拍馬屁 / 拍马屁 (zh) (pāi mǎpì), 拍馬 / 拍马 (zh) (pāimǎ)

• Czech: podlézat (cs), lísat se (cs)
• Danish: sleske
• Dutch: vleien (nl), versieren (nl)
• Finnish: imarrella (fi), nuoleskella (fi), pokkuroida (fi), liehitellä (fi), mielistellä (fi), nöyristellä (fi), hännystellä (fi)
• French: ramper (fr), flagorner (fr)
• German: schmeicheln (de)
• Hungarian: hízeleg (hu)
• Italian: adulare (it), essere servile, (informal) leccare (it)
• Latin: adūlor
• Maori: patipati, eneene
• Middle English: fawnen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: smiske

• Polish: schlebiać (pl), nadskakiwać (pl), podlizywać się (pl) impf, włazić w dupę (pl) impf (vulgar, dative), kadzić (pl) impf, płaszczyć się (pl), mizdrzyć się impf
• Portuguese: puxar saco, bajular (pt), adular (pt)
• Romanian: linguși (ro), flata (ro), măguli (ro)
• Russian: лебези́ть (ru) (lebezítʹ), подли́зываться (ru) (podlízyvatʹsja), подхали́мничать (ru) (podxalímničatʹ), заи́скивать (ru) (zaískivatʹ), уго́дничать (ru) (ugódničatʹ)
• Swedish: lisma (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: cynffonna (cy)

to wag tail

• Bulgarian: въртя опашка (vǎrtja opaška)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: logre
• Dutch: kwispelen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: heiluttaa häntää
• German: schwanzwedeln, schwänzeln (de)
• Italian: scodinzolare (it), fare le feste (it)
• Middle English: fawnen
• Polish: łasić się (pl)
• Romanian: gudura (ro)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: hacer carantoñas

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} се додворува (se dodvoruva), ^{(please verify)} се умилкува (se umilkuva)

Noun

fawn (plural fawns)

1. (rare) A servile cringe or bow.
2. Base flattery.

See also

• Appendix:Colors

Middle English

Alternative forms

• faun, faawn

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Faunus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fau̯n/

Noun

fawn (plural fawnes or fawny)

1. faun, satyr

Descendants

• English: faun

References

• “faun, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vau̯n/

Verb

fawn

1. Soft mutation of bawn.

Noun

fawn

1. Soft mutation of mawn.

Mutation

Mutated forms of bawn

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bawn	fawn	mawn	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.