Did you know?
Language lovers, rejoice! If you’re the sort of person who fawns over etymology (one of the best sorts of people, in our opinion), then you’ll be glad to know the story of fawn: it comes ultimately from the Old English adjective fægen or fagan, meaning “glad,” by way of Old English fagnian, meaning “to rejoice.” Hooray! But we’re not finished yet, my dear. Note that this fawn is not, despite appearances, related to the noun fawn that refers to a young deer. For that we can thank the Latin noun fetus, meaning “offspring.”
Examples of fawn in a Sentence
Time, 28 Oct. 2025
But there were – among the fawning compliments and the conviction an elusive peace was near – bits of good news for Ukraine.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
The Piedmont Police Department came to the aid of a fawn that was stuck very uncomfortably in a fence in a rural area, video shows.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fawn
Cite this Entry
“Fawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fawn. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fawn
2 of 2 nounVerb
Old English fagnian "to rejoice," from fægen "glad, fain"
Noun
early French feen, foon "young of an animal," derived from Latin fetus "offspring"
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