Fainéant
/feɪniˈɑːnt/noun
A person who is habitually idle or avoids work.
Did you know?The expression “rois fainéants,” or “do-nothing kings,” was applied to the later Merovingian rulers, whom chroniclers portrayed as powerless figureheads.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“To put, place, or do; the ancient root behind the “do” element of the word.”
Classical Latin
Latin
facere
“To make or do.”
Old French
Old French
fait
“Does or makes; the form descended from Latin facere.”
Old French
Old French
néant
“Nothing or nonexistence; related to the language of “being” and its negation.”
Middle French
French
fait-néant
“Literally, “does-nothing”; a label for an idle person.”
16th–17th Century
French
fainéant
“The fused modern French form, meaning lazy or inactive.”
Modern English
English
fainéant
“An idle or ineffective person, especially one avoiding work or responsibility.”