• Fair

    Pronunciation

    • RP IPA: /fɛə(ɹ)/, /fɛː(ɹ)/
    • GenAm IPA: /fɛɚ/
    • Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
    • Homophones: fare

    Origin 1

    From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer ("fair, lovely, beautiful; pleasant, agreeable; attractive"), from Proto-Germanic *fagraz ("suitable, fitting, nice"), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ḱ- ("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").

    Full definition of fair

    Adjective

    fair

    1. (literary or archaic) Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
      Monday's child is fair of face.
      There was once a knight wooed a fair young maid.
      • 1917, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, "It was a purely scientific research party sent out by my father's father, the Jeddak of Helium, to rechart the air currents, and to take atmospheric density tests," replied the fair prisoner, in a low, well-modulated voice.
      • 2010, Stephan Grundy, Beowulf, And yet he was also, though many generations separated them, distant cousin to the shining eoten-main Geard, whom the god Frea Ing had seen from afar and wedded; and to Scatha, the fair daughter of the old thurse Theasa, who had claimed a husband from among the gods as weregild for her father's slaying: often, it was said, the ugliest eotens would sire the fairest maids.
    2. Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.
      After scratching out and replacing various words in the manuscript, he scribed a fair copy to send to the publisher.
      one's fair name
      • Book of Common Prayera fair white linen cloth
    3. Light in color, pale, particularly as regards skin tone but also referring to blond hair.
      She had fair hair and blue eyes.
    4. Just, equitable.
      He must be given a fair trial.
      • 1910, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price Chapter 1, “… it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
    5. Adequate, reasonable, or decent.
      The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.
      • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 3, My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
    6. (nautical, of a wind) Favorable to a ship's course.
    7. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.
      a fair sky;  a fair day
      • Mathew Prior (1664-1721)You wish fair winds may waft him over.
    8. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.
      a fair mark;  in fair sight;  a fair view
      • Sir Walter Raleigh (ca.1554-1618)The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.
    9. (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.
    10. (baseball) Between the baselines.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from fair (adjective)

    Noun

    fair

    (plural fair)
    1. Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?
    2. (obsolete) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.
      • 1744, , , act 2, scene 8''Love and Hymen, hand in hand,''Come, restore the nuptial band!''And sincere delights prepare''To crown the hero and the fair.
      • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 39:In enjoying, therefore, such place of rendezvous, the British fair ought to esteem themselves more happy than any of their foreign sisters ...
      • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, III.24:If single, probably his plighted Fair
        Has in his absence wedded some rich miser ....
    3. (obsolete) Fairness, beauty.
    4. A fair woman; a sweetheart.
      • ShenstoneI have found out a gift for my fair.
    5. (obsolete) Good fortune; good luck.
      • ShakespeareNow fair befall thee!

    Verb

    1. To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
    2. To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
    3. To construct or design a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline or reduce air drag or water resistance.
    4. (obsolete) To make fair or beautiful.
      • ShakespeareFairing the foul.

    Synonyms

    • (to reduce air drag or water resistance) to streamline

    Derived terms

    Adverb

    fair

    1. Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably.

    Derived terms

    Origin 2

    From Old French feire, from Latin fēriae.

    Noun

    fair

    (plural fairs)
    1. A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
    2. An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.
      • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 7, The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. … It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one.
    3. An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business.
    4. A funfair, an amusement park.

    Derived terms

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