fair

comparative fairer · superlative fairest · alternative obsolete faire

1. archaicliteraryoriginal senseBeautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.

   fair sex

   5 more examples

   Monday's child is fair of face.

   There was once a knight who wooed a fair young maid.

   He is so fayre, withoutten les, / he semys full well to sytt on des.

   He is so fair, without any limit; his appearance shows well when he sits on the dais.

   15th c., “[The Creation]”, in Wakefield Mystery Plays; Re-edited in George England, Alfred W. Pollard, editors, The Towneley Plays (Early English Text Society Extra Series; LXXI), London: […] Oxford University Press, 1897, →OCLC, page 5, lines 120–121

   That the ſonnes of God ſaw the daughters of men, that they were faire, and they took them wiues, of all which they choſe.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 6:2, column 1

   "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.

   1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Champion and Chief”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., October 1917, →OCLC, page 96

   Synonyms: beautiful, pretty, lovely

2. Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.

   one's fair name

   3 more examples

   After scratching out and replacing various words in the manuscript, he scribed a fair copy to send to the publisher.

   The Table hauing at the Communion time a faire white linnen cloth vpon it, shall stand in the body of the Church, or in the Chancell, where Morning prayer and Euening prayer be appointed to be said.

   1605, “The order for the administration of the Lords Supper, or holy Communion”, in The Booke of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, London: Robert Barker

   1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, London, Observation 21, “Of Moss, and several other small vegetative Substances,” p. 135, […] I have observ’d, that putting fair Water (whether Rain-water or Pump-water, or May-dew, or Snow-water, it was almost all one) I have often observ’d, I say, that this Water would, with a little standing, tarnish and cover all about the sides of the Glass that lay under water, with a lovely green […]

   Synonyms: pure, clean, neat

3. Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond and red hair.

   She had fair hair and blue eyes.

   2 more examples

   the northern people large and fair-complexioned

   1677, Matthew Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature, page 200

   This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. In complexion fair, and with blue or gray eyes, he was tall as any Viking, as broad in the shoulder.

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   Synonyms: pale · Antonyms: swarthy

4. Just.

   He must be given a fair trial.

   1 more example

   “[…] 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.”

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   Synonyms: honest, equitable, rightful, clean

5. Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.

   Their performance has been only fair.

   3 more examples

   The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.

   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.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter III, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

   The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance.

   1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC

   Synonyms: OK, okay

6. nauticalFavorable to a ship's course.

   I shipped with them and becoming friends, we set forth on our venture, in health and safety; and sailed with a fair wind, till we came to a city called Madínat-al-Sín; […]

   1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 563”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC

7. Favorable, pleasant.

   The weather was fair today.

   1. Not overcast; cloudless; clear.

      a fair sky

      1 more example

      They had good weather and tolerably fair winds, and before they entered the Straits of Magellan the captain had formulated a plan for the disposition of Garta.

      1909, Frank R. Stockton, The adventures of Captain Horn, Chapter 42

   2. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.

      a fair mark;  in fair sight;  a fair view

      1 more example

      The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.

      c. 1610?, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War

8. businessWithout sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
9. ball gamesBetween the baselines.
10. ball gamesTaken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.
11. ball gamesNot a no ball.
12. mathematicsOf a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.

    A fair coin has a 50% chance of landing on heads.

alternative obsolete faire

1. Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).

   When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?

2. obsoleteA woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.

   If single, probably his plighted Fair Has in his absence wedded some rich miser […].

   1821 August 8, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, Cantos III, IV, and V, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, canto III, stanza 24

   2 more examples

   Love and Hymen, hand in hand, Come, restore the nuptial band! And sincere delights prepare To crown the hero and the fair.

   1744, Georg Friedrich Händel, Hercules, act 2, scene 8

   Here Jones, having ordered a servant to show a room above stairs, was ascending, when the dishevelled fair, hastily following, was laid hold on by the master of the house, who cried, “Heyday, where is that beggar wench going? Stay below stairs, I desire you.”

   1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC

3. obsoleteFairness, beauty.

   My decayed fair

   c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]

4. A fair woman; a sweetheart.

   I have found out a gift for my fair.

   1743, William Shenstone, A Pastoral Ballad

5. obsoleteGood fortune; good luck.

   Now, fair befall thee, good Petruchio!

   c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

present singular third person fairs · participle present fairing · participle past faired · past faired · alternative obsolete faire

1. transitiveTo smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
2. transitiveTo bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
3. transitiveartTo make an animation smooth, removing any jerkiness.

   Since the sequence of data contain sampling noises, the captured motion is not smooth and wiggles along the moving path. There are well-known fairing algorithms in Euclidean space based on difference geometry.

   1996, Computer Animation '96: June 3-4, 1996, Geneva, Switzerland, page 136

4. transitiveTo construct or design with the aim of producing a smooth outline or reducing air drag or water resistance.

   Two forward cars were provided with the model. One of these (shown detached in Fig. 1) was faired at its after end, with a view to possible reduction of head resistance, and to induce a better flow of air to the propeller.

   1920, Technical Report of the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, page 206

   Synonyms: to streamline

5. obsoletetransitiveTo make fair or beautiful.

   Fairing the foul with art’s false borrow’d face

   1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 127”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

6. intransitiveTo become fair (favorable, not stormy).

   [The] weather faired, and toward midday we were again facing the fringe of breakers from the cliffs.

   1891, Percival Lowell, Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan, IndyPublish.com, page 211

   2 more examples

   ... weather "faired off" next morning, and we were not a bit sorry to mark time for a couple of days while the water went down.

   1929, James Frank Dobie, A Vaquero of the Brush Country, page 88

   ... weather faired up but there was no thought of delay; it was time for Texas to move forward and form a new, independent government. In an effort to combat the frigid conditions, the delegates nailed thin pieces of cloth over the[…]

   1992 05, Wallace O. Chariton, Charlie Eckhardt, Kevin Young, Unsolved Texas Mysteries, Taylor Trade Publications, →ISBN, page 205

comparative more fair · comparative fairer · superlative most fair · superlative fairest · alternative obsolete faire

1. Clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably.
2. IrelandAlmost; to a great extent but not literally.

   "I'm fair moidered to know what to do wid him," she confessed to the rosy-cheeked Bridget one day.

   1913, James Johnston Abraham, The Night Nurse

   2 more examples

   "I just want to get me blasted boots off and soak me poor feet, they're fair killing me, what with chilblains and corns, me toes are fair screaming."

   2011 June 1, Dorothy Mitchell, Hollybeck, Chipmunkapublishing ltd, →ISBN, page 7

   "We were at Egyptian Hall last night and the poor lady was overwhelmed with messages - they fair exhausted her."

   2011 September 5, Mary Hooper, Velvet, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 67

plural fairs

1. A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
2. An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.

   1 more example

   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.

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

3. An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.
4. A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).

   The whole town was at the fair, young and old, rich and poor.

1. A surname.

1. abbreviationacronymuncountabledata managementAcronym of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability, a set of principles for data management.

1. USabbreviationacronymgovernmentAcronym of Federation for American Immigration Reform.

   While there is no official definition of sanctuaries, FAIR counted any jurisdiction that bans police or other officials from asking about immigration status, forbids communication with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or refuses to hold likely deportees for pickup by ICE.

   2018 May 10, Stephen Dinan, “Half of all Americans now live in ‘sanctuaries’ protecting immigrants”, in The Washington Times

2. abbreviationacronymartificial intelligenceAcronym of Facebook AI Research.