faun

noun

ˈfȯn How to pronounce faun (audio)
ˈfän
: a figure in Roman mythology similar to but gentler than the satyr

Examples of faun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The beggar and the faun were the two figures damaged, President of the City of Fountains Foundation Mark McHenry said in an interview with The Star. Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2024 Part of a fountain, the reclining sculpture of the faun Silenus was commissioned by merchant Alessandro Grandi around 1576. Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2024 Rogowski, who threw a mean shape or two in such films as Disco Boy and Passages, also contributes a very physical performance, cavorting around Gravesend like a shy woodland faun or fowl. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024 The teaser doesn’t show too much, except a glimpse of a faun, and perhaps a menacing minotaur, two fixtures from the mythical world of Greek gods. Dan Heching, CNN, 18 Aug. 2023 His faun-like tail? Cammy Brothers, WSJ, 7 May 2022 Here, though, all the dancers are the faun and their attention locks not on a nymph but on us. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2023 On the cover: What comes to mind in seeing Christopher Smith’s self-portrait as a faun? Amy Verner, Vogue, 24 June 2021 And what’s up with those zealous, self-flagellating fauns? Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin faunus, from Faunus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of faun was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near faun

Cite this Entry

“Faun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faun. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

faun

noun
ˈfȯn How to pronounce faun (audio)
ˈfän
: a figure in Roman mythology dwelling in the country and represented as part goat and part man
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