Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FAIR-SEEM-ING, a.

Appearing fair. Hemans.

FAIR-SPOK'EN, a.

Using fair speech; bland; civil; courteous; plausible. Arius, a fair-spoken man. Hooker.

FAI'RY, a.

1. Belonging to fairies; as, fairy land. Shak.
2. Given by fairies; as, fairy money or favors. Dryden. Locke.

FAI'RY, n. [G. fee; Fr. fée, whence féer, to enchant, féerie, a fairy land; It. fata. The origin of this word is not obvious, and the radical letters are uncertain. The conjectures of Baxter, Jamieson and others throw no satisfactory light on the subject.]

1. A fay; an imaginary being or spirit, supposed to assume a human form, dance in meadows, steal infants and play a variety of pranks. [See Elf and Demon.] Locke. Pope.
2. An enchantress. Shak. Fairy of the mine, an imaginary being supposed to inhabit mines, wandering about in the drifts and chambers, always employed in cutting ore, turning the windlass, &c., yet effecting nothing. The Germans believe in two species; one fierce and malevolent, the other gentle. [See Cobalt.] Encyc. Fairy ring or circle, a phenomenon observed in fields, vulgarly supposed to be caused by fairies in their dances. This circle is of two kinds; one about seven yards in diameter, containing a round bare path, a foot broad, with green grass in the middle; the other of different size, encompassed with grass. Encyc.

FAI'RY-LAND, n.

The imaginary land or abode of fairies.

FAI'RY-LIKE, a.

Imitating the manner of fairies. Shak.

FAI'RY-STONE, n.

A stone found in gravel pits. Johnson. The fossil echinite, abundant in chalk pits. Cyc.

FAITH, n. [W. fyz; Arm. feiz; L. fides; It. fede; Port. and Sp. fe; Fr. foi; Gr. πιστις; L. fido, to trust; Gr. πειθω, to persuade, to draw toward any thing, to conciliate; πειθομαι, to believe, to obey. In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as πεισα signifies a rope or cable, as does πεισμα. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Qu. Heb. Ch. Syr. Sam. בטח. Class Bd, No. 16.]

1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a historian narrates.
2. The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another; belief, on probable evidence of any kind.
3. In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the Scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called historical or speculative faith; a faith little distinguished from the belief of the existence and achievements of Alexander or of Cesar.
4. Evangelical, justifying or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony and of the truth of the Gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation. Being justified by faith. Rom. v. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. xi. For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2 Cor. v. With the heart man believeth to righteousness. Rom. x. The faith of the Gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust or confidence, exercised toward the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior. Dwight. Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God. J. Hawes. Faith is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them. L. Woods.
5. The object of belief; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed; a system of revealed truths received by Christians. They heard only, that he who persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal. i.
6. The promises of God, or his truth and faithfulness. Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Rom. iii.
7. An open profession of Gospel truth. Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom. i.
8. A persuasion or belief of the lawfulness of things indifferent. Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Rom. xiv.
9. Faithfulness; fidelity; a strict adherence to duty and fulfillment of promises. Her failing, while her faith to me remains, / I would conceal. Milton. Children in whom is no faith. Deut. xxxii.
10. Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity. He violated his plighted faith. For you alone / I broke my faith with injured Palamon. Dryden.
11. Sincerity; honesty; veracity; faithfulness. We ought, in good faith, to fulfill all our engagements.
12. Credibility or truth. [Unusual.] The faith of the foregoing narrative. Milford.

FAITH'BREACH, n.

Breach of fidelity; disloyalty; perfidy. Shak.

FAITH'ED, a.

Honest; sincere. [Not used.] Shak.

FAITH'FUL, a.

1. Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion. Be thou faithful to death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Rev. ii.
2. Firmly adhering to duty; of true fidelity; loyal; true to allegiance; as, a faithful subject.
3. Constant in the performance of duties or services; exact in attending to commands; as, a faithful servant.
4. Observant of compact, treaties, contracts, vows or other engagements; true to one's word. A government should be faithful to its treaties; individuals, to their word.
5. True; exact; in conformity to the letter and spirit; as, a faithful execution of a will.
6. True to the marriage covenant; as, a faithful wife or husband.
7. Conformable to truth; as, a faithful narrative or representation.
8. Constant; not fickle; as, faithful lover or friend.
9. True; worthy of belief. 2 Tim. ii.

FAITH'FUL-LY, adv.

1. In a faithful manner; with good faith.
2. With strict adherence to allegiance and duty; applied to subjects.
3. With strict observance of promises, vows, covenants or duties; without failure of performance; honestly; exactly. The treaty or contract was faithfully executed.
4. Sincerely; with strong assurances; he faithfully promised.
5. Honestly; truly; without defect, fraud, trick or ambiguity. The battle was faithfully described or represented. They suppose the nature of things to be faithfully signified by their names. South.
6. Confidently; steadily. Shak.

FAITH'FUL-NESS, n.

1. Fidelity; loyalty; firm adherence to allegiance and duty; as, the faithfulness of a subject.
2. Truth; veracity; as, the faithfulness of God.
3. Strict adherence to injunctions, and to the duties of a station; as, the faithfulness of servants or ministers.
4. Strict performance of promises, vows or covenants; constancy in affection; as, the faithfulness of a husband or wife.

FAITH'LESS, a.

1. Without belief in the revealed truths of religion; unbelieving. O faithless generation. Matth. xvii.
2. Not believing; not giving credit to.
3. Not adhering to allegiance or duty; disloyal; perfidious; treacherous; as, a faithless subject.
4. Not true to a master or employer; neglectful; as, a faithless servant.
5. Not true to the marriage covenant; false; as, a faithless husband or wife.
6. Not observant of promises.
7. Deceptive. Yonder faithless phantom. Goldsmith.

FAITH'LESS-LY, adv.

In a faithless manner.

FAITH'LESS-NESS, n.

1. Unbelief, as to revealed religion.
2. Perfidy; treachery; disloyalty; as in subjects.
3. Violation of promises or covenants; inconstancy; as of husband or wife.

FAI'TOUR, n. [Norm. from L. factor.]

An evil doer; a scoundrel; a mean fellow. [Obs.] Spenser.

FAKE, n. [Scot. faik, to fold, a fold, a layer or stratum; perhaps Sw. vika, vickla, to fold or involve. The sense of fold may be to lay, to fall, or to set or throw together, and this word may belong to Sax. fægan, fegan, to unite, to suit, to fadge, that is, to set or lay together.]

One of the circles or windings of a cable or hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil. Mar. Dict.

FA'KIR, or FA-QUIR, n. [This word signifies in Arabic a poor man; in Ethiopic, an interpreter.]

A monk in India. The fakirs subject themselves to severe austerities and mortification. Some of them condemn themselves to a standing posture all their lives, supported only by a stick or rope under their arm-pits. Some mangle their bodies with scourges or knives. Others wander about in companies, telling fortunes, and these are said to be arrant villains. Encyc.

FAL-CADE', n. [L. falx, a sickle or sythe.]

A horse is said to make a falcade, when he throws himself on his haunches two or three times, as in very quick curvets; that is, a falcade is a bending very low. – Harris.

FALC'ATE, or FALC'A-TED, a. [L. falcatus, from falx, a sickle, sythe or reaping-hook.]

Hooked; bent like a sickle or sythe; an epithet applied to the new moon. – Bailey.

FAL-CA'TION, n.

Crookedness; a bending in the form of a sickle. Brown.

FAL'CHION, n. [fal'chun; a is pronounced as in fall. Fr. fauchon, from L. falx, a reaping-hook.]

A short crooked sword; a cimiter. – Dryden.

FAL'CI-FORM, a. [L. falx, a reaping-hook, and form.]

In the shape of a sickle; resembling a reaping-hook.

FAL'CON, n. [sometimes pronounced fawcon. Fr. faucon; It. falcone; L. falco, a hawk; W. gwalç, a crested one, a hero, a hawk, that which rises or towers. The falcon is probably so named from its curving beak or talons.]

1. A hawk; but appropriately, a hawk trained to sport, as in falconry, – which see. It is said that this name is, by sportsmen, given to the female alone; for the male is smaller, weaker and less courageous, and is therefore called tircelel or tarsel. – Encyc. This term, in ornithology, is applied to a division of the genus Falco, with a short hooked beak and very long wings, the strongest armed and most courageous species, and therefore used in falconry. – Cuvier. Ed. Encyc.
2. A sort of cannon, whose diameter at the bore is five inches and a quarter, and carrying shot of two pounds and a half. – Harris