wain
[weyn]
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. Charles's Wain.
- a farm wagon or cart.
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Origin of wain
before 900; Middle English; Old English wægn, wǣn, cognate with Dutch wagen, German Wagen. See weigh1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wain
Contemporary Examples
Wain, who reunites with co-writer Michael Showalter, penned the first script for They Came Together in 2001.
Historical Examples
Then he hoisted the tree on to the wain, roped it into place, and told the cartman to drive on.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
Then, all at once, a wain had stood at the gate: the servants hastened to open it.
Debts of HonorMaurus Jkai
Lorand pointed speechlessly to the wain, and could not tell them.
Debts of HonorMaurus Jkai
And after the wain, on foot, the two brothers, hand in hand.
Debts of HonorMaurus Jkai
With the Wenman, who drove the wain, we may mention the Leader or Loader.
The Romance of NamesErnest Weekley
wain
- mainly poetic a farm wagon or cart
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Word Origin
Old English wægn; related to Old Frisian wein, Old Norse vagn
Wain
- John (Barrington). 1925–94, British novelist, poet, and critic. His novels include Hurry on Down (1953), Strike the Father Dead (1962), and Young Shoulders (1982)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for wain
n.
Old English wægn "wheeled vehicle," from Proto-Germanic *wagnaz (see wagon). Largely fallen from use by c.1600, but kept alive by poets, who found it easier to rhyme on than wagon. As a name for the Big Dipper/Plough, it is from Old English (see Charles's Wain).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper