fair

adjective14

1. •
   right and reasonable because no one is treated better than others

   • He must be given a fair trial.
2. •
   Of a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.

   • A fair coin has a 50% chance of landing on heads.
3. •
   Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.

   • Their performance has been only fair.
   • The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.
4. •
   Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond and red hair.

   • She had fair hair and blue eyes.
5. •
   Favorable to a ship's course.

   • I shipped with them and becoming friends, we set forth on our venture, in health and safety; and sailed with a fair wind, till we came to a city called Madínat-al-Sín; […] — 1885
6. •
   Favorable, pleasant.

   • The weather was fair today.
7. •
   Not overcast; cloudless; clear.

   • They had good weather and tolerably fair winds, and before they entered the Straits of Magellan the captain had formulated a plan for the disposition of Garta. — 1909
8. •
   Between the baselines.
9. •
   Taken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.
10. •
    Not a no ball.
11. •
    Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.

    • one's fair name
    • After scratching out and replacing various words in the manuscript, he scribed a fair copy to send to the publisher.
12. •
    Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.

    • The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged. — 1610
13. •
    Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
14. •
    (literary, no longer used) Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.

    • Monday's child is fair of face.
    • There was once a knight who wooed a fair young maid.

verb6

1. •
   To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
2. •
   To make an animation smooth, removing any jerkiness.
3. •
   To construct or design with the aim of producing a smooth outline or reducing air drag or water resistance.
4. •
   To become fair (favorable, not stormy).

   • [The] weather faired, and toward midday we were again facing the fringe of breakers from the cliffs. — 1891
5. •
   To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
6. •
   (no longer used) To make fair or beautiful.

noun9

1. •
   A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
2. •
   An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.
3. •
   An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.
4. •
   A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).

   • The whole town was at the fair, young and old, rich and poor.
5. •
   Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).

   • When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?
6. •
   A fair woman; a sweetheart.

   • I have found out a gift for my fair. — 1743
7. •
   (no longer used) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.

   • Love and Hymen, hand in hand, Come, restore the nuptial band! And sincere delights prepare To crown the hero and the fair. — 1744
8. •
   (no longer used) Fairness, beauty.
9. •
   (no longer used) Good fortune; good luck.

   • Now, fair befall thee, good Petruchio! — 1590

adverb2

1. •
   Clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably.
2. •
   (Ireland) Almost; to a great extent but not literally.

   • "I'm fair moidered to know what to do wid him," she confessed to the rosy-cheeked Bridget one day. — 1913

noun1

1. •
   Acronym of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability, a set of principles for data management.