Inherited from Middle French guaine, from Old French guaïne, inherited from Latin vāgīna (“sheath, scabbard”). Doublet of borrowed vagin. Cognate with Italian guaina, Catalan beina, Spanish vaina, Portuguese bainha.

The change of the onset from Vulgar Latin /v/ to Old French /(ɡ)w/ is due to Germanic influence. One theory sees in it a confluence with Frankish *wāgi (“cup”, compare Old English wǣġe). Alternatively it might be simply that as a military term the word was used most frequently among the Frankish warrior class and therefore came to be generalised in the form corresponding to their accent.

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛn/

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• Rhymes: -ɛn

gaine f (plural gaines)

1. sheath, scabbard (for dagger etc.)

   Synonym: fourreau

2. (technology) casing, sheathing, sheath (of a cable)
3. (botany) sheath

• gainier

• vagin

gaine

1. inflection of gainer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “gaine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

• gênai

gaine

1. alternative form of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”)

gaine

1. alternative form of gain (“against”)

gaine

1. alternative form of gaynen