▪ I. fawn, n.1
(fɔːn)
Forms: 4–5 foun(e, (5 fowen), 5 faon, 5–7 fawne, 6–7 faun(e, 5– fawn.
[a. OF. faon, also foun, feon:—med.L. *fētōn-em, f. fœtus offspring.]
† 1. A young animal, cub. Obs.
| [1274 Grands Chron. S. Denis in Rer. Gall. & Franc. Script. (1818) XVII. 354 Jones fauns de bestes sauvages.] 1481 Caxton Myrr. ii. vi, This beest hath but ones yong fawnes. a 1603 Jas. I Psalm xxix. 6 Lyke to the faune of unicornis Will leape when he doth speik. 1603 Owen Pembrokeshire i. xv. (1892) 127 The Fawne [of a seal] at the first is white. |
2. A young fallow deer, a buck or doe of the first year. in fawn (said of the doe): pregnant.
| c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 429 Of founes, soures, bukkes, does Was ful the wode. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 143 Dappeld and spotted, as it ware founez of daes. 1486 Bk. St. Albans E iv a, And ye speke of the Bucke the fyrst yere he is a fawne. 1535 Coverdale Jer. xiv. 5 The Hynde shal forsake the yonge fawne..because there shalbe no grasse. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 404 As a Tiger, who by chance hath spi'd..two gentle Fawnes at play. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) III. 137 The fawns continue to follow the deer eight or nine months in all. 1810 Scott Lady of L. iii. ii, The doe awoke, and to the lawn..led her fawn. 1872 Baker Nile Tribut. ii. 38 The does are now in fawn. |
| fig. 1609 Heywood Brit. Troy xv. xxxii, That her commensed spleene may be withdrawne From them, whose violence spar'd not her Fawne. |
3. Short for fawn-colour (see 4).
| 1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork iii. 165 Among colors in which most of the stuffs mentioned may be had, are seal-brown, nut-brown and fawn. 1892 Pall Mall G. 17 Mar. 1/2 A Russian costume in fawns made of fancy crépon. Ibid. 22 Sept. 1/3 Slight moustache and hair of a fawn that we associate rather with Caledonia than the Netherlands. 1914 [see beaver1 2 c]. 1971 P. D. James Shroud for Nightingale v. 170 The thick winter coat in fawn was of good quality. Ibid. vii. 220 His fawn polo-neck sweater. |
4. attrib. and Comb., as fawn-skin; also fawn-brown, fawn-eyed, fawn-like, fawn-pink adjs; fawn-colour, a light yellowish brown (hence fawn-coloured adj.); fawn foot (see quots.).
| 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. II. 177 They acquire a strong *fawn-brown tint. 1865 Gosse Year at Shore 79 Light olive, fawn-brown..or pure white. |
| 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. II. 284 Of a red, inclining to *fawn-colour. 1844–57 G. Bird Urin. Deposits (ed. 5) 133 From the palest fawn-colour to the deepest amber. |
| 1803 Davy in Phil. Trans. XCIII. 261 They gave dense *fawn-coloured precipitates. 1891 E. Peacock N. Brendon II. 391 The little fawn-coloured bullocks. |
| 1895 J. R. Lowell Last Poems 34 Seraph strong to soar, or *fawn-eyed elf. 1938 S. Spender Trial of Judge 16 The gross-lipped fawn-eyed nigger-skinned Hook-nosed intellectual Petra. |
| 1950 H. L. Edlin in Wood XV. 373/1 *Fawn foot, swelling at the end of an axe helve, to give a better grip, shaped like a fawn's foot. 1953 A. Jobson Household & Country Crafts xvii. 166 Some characteristic bill-hooks with the funniest little kick of a handle, like the spurs of a fighting-cock (I believe they are technically known as fawnfeet, and assuredly they are taken out of the hedgerow). |
| 1838 Lytton Leila i. iv, That elastic and *fawn-like grace. 1862 Shirley Nugæ Crit. iii. 152 Little cousin Annie, with her shy fawn-like glances. |
| 1909 Daily Chron. 29 Apr. 7/3 Tourterelle is a subdued *fawn-pink. 1927 D. H. Lawrence Mornings in Mexico 30 It [sc. the village] lies..tilted on the fawn⁓pink slope. |
| 1513 Douglas æneis vii. vii. 126 Sum wer cled in pilchis of *foune skynnis. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. I. 10 Many allusions about a fawn, and fawn-skin, in the Dionusiaca. 1864 Swinburne Atalanta 1389 Their leaves that nod Round thy fawnskin. |
▪ II. † fawn, n.2 Obs.
[f. fawn v.1]
1. An act of fawning; a servile cringe, a wheedling courtesy.
| 1590 Greene Never too late (1600) 48 Infida..plied Francesco with her flattering fawnes. 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster v. i, Thy..wholesome sharpnesse..pleaseth Cæsar, more than servile fawnes. 1633 P. Fletcher Poet. Misc. 78 Will rave and chide..But soon to smiles and fawns turns all his heat. a 1657 R. Loveday Lett. (1663) 146 The fawnes of Fortune. 1744 E. Heywood Female Spectator (1746) I. 131 You may know him by..a servile fawn on all who can..contribute to exalting him. |
2. = fawner. rare—1.
| 1635 R. Brathwait Arcad. Pr. 80 Had he plaid buffoun, Fawn or knave. |
▪ III. fawn, v.1
(fɔːn)
Forms: 4 faghne, fayn, 4–7 fawne, 4, 6–8 faun(e, (4 fauhne), 5 fawnyn, 6 Sc., 9 dial. fan, 5– fawn. See also fain v.1
[app. a variant, with specialized sense, of fain v.1 to rejoice. The OE. forms fæᵹnian and fahnian (whence respectively fain and fawn) are derived from different forms of the adj., viz. OE. fæᵹen, whence fain adj., and OE. faᵹen, whence ME. fawe.
Prof. Sievers suggests that the divergent forms are due to suffix-ablaut (-in, -an, -un) in primitive OE.]
1. intr. Of an animal, esp. a dog: To show delight or fondness (by wagging the tail, whining, etc.) as a dog does.
| a 1225 [see fawning vbl. n. 1.] 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 295 Þere ne was lyoun ne leopart.. Þat ne fel to her feet, and fauned with þe tailles. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. iv. (1495) 751 A lambe..fawnyth wyth hys taylle whan he hath founde his moder. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 152/1 Fawnyn as howndys, applaudo. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 421 As the grim lion fawneth o'er his prey. 1611 Dekker Roaring Girle Wks. 1873 III. 215 He can both fawne like a Spaniell, and bite like a Mastiue. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 526 Oft he bowd His turret Crest..Fawning. 1675 Hobbes Odyssey (1677) 209 The old dog Argus..fauned with his tail, but could not rise. 1791 Cowper Odyssey xvi. 11 Thy dogs bark not, but fawn on his approach. 1865 Swinburne Poems & Ball., Satia te Sanguine 54 A tame beast..fawns to be fed. |
b. to fawn on, upon: (of a dog, etc.) to show delight at the presence of; to lavish caresses on, to caress.
| 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 41, I barke upon the fooles and fawne upon the wysemen. 1533 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 196 The Lion..fauned gently upon hym. a 1605 Montgomerie Descr. Vane Lovers 42 A Dog..will..fan on him vha givis him fude. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 193, I wondered to see her [a Deere] so gently fawne upon me without any feare. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. i. ii, A puppy fawns upon its dam. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 49 The calf..came to me, and fawned upon me. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. iii. (1889) 28 Jack [the dog]..was fawning on him as if he understood every word. |
| fig. 1573 Tusser Husb. cxiv. (1878) 216 Though Fortune smiles, and fawnes vpon thy side. 1600 Holland Livy iv. xlii. (1609) 166 It was no long time that fortune fawned upon the æquians. 1796 Burke Let. noble Ld. Wks. 1842 II. 271 In the same moment fawning on those who have the knife half out of the sheath. |
† c. quasi-trans. To wag (the tail). Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 12354 (Cott.) Þas oþer leons..honurd him faunand þair tail. |
† 2. trans. = to fawn on (sense 1 b): To caress; to pat (the head of a dog). Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 12333 heading (Gott.), Þe leonis fauned iesus. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1919 Hor houndez þay þer rewarde, Her hedez þay fawne & frote. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Eufemia 183, & faynand hir þare talis knet. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 294/4 They ranne to this hooly vyrgyne in fawnynge her. |
3. intr. To affect a servile fondness; to court favour or notice by an abject demeanour. Const. on, upon (a person, his looks, etc.).
| a 1310 [see fawning vbl. n. 2.] c 1440 Lydg. Secrees Prol. 675 Smothe afore folk to fawnyn and to shyne. c 1510 More Picus Wks. 16/1 If the worlde fawne vpon the. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 171 Such as fawne on them with flatterie. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 225 By fawning on his angrie lookes she turnes them into smiles. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus iii. 3 Nor further fawned [they] vpon God then to get out of his hands. 1692 E. Walker Epictetus' Mor. xxxi, Nor flatter, fawn, forswear, assent or lie. 1823 Lamb Lett. (1888) II. 62 How the knave fawned when I was of service to him! 1857 Buckle Civiliz. I. vii. 398 Even our greatest writers prostituted their abilities by fawning upon the prejudices of their patrons. 1865 Kingsley Herew. x, They fawn on a damsel with soft words. 1879 Dixon Windsor I. xii. 118 He stooped to fawn where he was used to smite. |
† b. to fawn upon (a thing, an object of desire): to aspire to. Obs. rare—1.
| 1634 Ford P. Warbeck v. i, Could I be England's queen,—a glory, Jane, I never fawn'd on. |
† 4. trans. To cringe to (a person). Obs. rare.
| a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. i. (Arb.) 83 Though, for their priuate matters they can follow, fawne, and flatter noble Personages. |
▪ IV. fawn, v.2
(fɔːn)
[f. fawn n.1; cf. OF. faoner.]
1. intr. To bring forth young. Now only of deer.
| 1481 Caxton Myrr. ii. vi, They [lionesses] come to fede their fawnes the iii day after they haue fawned. 1530 Palsgr. 546/2 Haue your dere fawned yet? 1679 Blount Anc. Tenures 91 Because the Dear did then fawn, or bring forth their young. 1721–1800 in Bailey. 1942 J. M. Dowsett Romance Eng. Forests ix. 243 No hogs were allowed in the chase during the fence month when the does were fawning. 1951 D. M. Stenton Eng. Soc. Early Middle Ages iii. 107 The forest was closed for hunting because the beasts were supposed to be fawning. |
2. trans. Of deer: To bring forth (a fawn).
| 1576 Turberv. Venerie 141 The Bucke is fawned in the end of May. 1618 Earl of Cork in Sir R. Boyle's Diary Ser. i. (1886) I. 192 The firste fawn that was fawned in my Park. |
Hence ˈfawning vbl. n.
| 1598 J. Manwood Lawes Forest xi. §2 (1615) 81 When that our Agistors doe meete together for the fawning of our wilde beasts. 1685 R. Brady tr. John's Charter of Forests §7 in Hist. Eng. App. 141 The third Swainmote shall be holden..concerning the fawning of our Does. |
▪ V. fawn
obs. form of faun.