Dictionary Definition
fair adj
1 free from favoritism or self-interest or bias
or deception; or conforming with established standards or rules; "a
fair referee"; "fair deal"; "on a fair footing"; "a fair fight";
"by fair means or foul" [syn: just] [ant: unfair]
2 showing lack of favoritism; "the cold
neutrality of an impartial judge" [syn: impartial] [ant: partial]
3 more than adequate in quality; "fair
work"
4 not excessive or extreme; "a fairish income";
"reasonable prices" [syn: fairish, reasonable]
5 visually appealing; "our fair city" [syn:
sightly]
6 very pleasing to the eye; "my bonny lass";
"there's a bonny bay beyond"; "a comely face"; "young fair maidens"
[syn: bonny, bonnie, comely]
7 (of a baseball) hit between the foul lines; "he
hit a fair ball over the third base bag" [ant: foul]
8 of no exceptional quality or ability; "a novel
of average merit"; "only a fair performance of the sonata"; "in
fair health"; "the caliber of the students has gone from mediocre
to above average"; "the performance was middling at best" [syn:
average, mediocre, middling]
9 attractively feminine; "the fair sex" [syn:
fair(a)]
10 (of a manuscript) having few alterations or
corrections; "fair copy"; "a clean manuscript" [syn: clean]
11 free of clouds or rain; "today will be fair
and warm"
12 (used of hair or skin) pale or light-colored;
"a fair complexion"; [syn: fairish]
Noun
2 gathering of producers to promote business;
"world fair"; "trade fair"; "book fair"
3 a competitive exhibition of farm products; "she
won a blue ribbon for her baking at the county fair"
4 a sale of miscellany; often for charity; "the
church bazaar" [syn: bazaar] adv
1 in conformity with the rules or laws and
without fraud or cheating; "they played fairly" [syn: fairly, clean] [ant: unfairly]
2 in a fair evenhanded manner; "deal fairly with
one another" [syn: fairly,
without favoring one party,
without favouring one party, evenhandedly] v : join so
that the external surfaces blend smoothly
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Homophones
Adjective
en-adj er- Beautiful,
pleasing to the eye; pretty.
- Monday's child is fair of face.
- Light in color,
pale, particularly as
regards skin tone but also refers to blond hair.
- She had fair hair and blue eyes.
- Just, equitable.
- He must be given a fair trial.
- Adequate, reasonable, or decent.
- The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.
- Between the baselines.
pretty or attractive
- Chinese:
- Danish: smuk
- Dutch: bevallig, mooi
- Finnish: viehkeä
- French: beau, belle, joli
- German: schön, wunderbar
- Hebrew: ,
- Icelandic: fagur
- Italian: bello, bella
- Old English: fæger, cyrten
- Scottish Gaelic: maiseach, bòidheach, sgèimheach
- Swedish: fager
just, equitable
- Chinese:
- Danish: retfærdig
- Dutch: eerlijk, rechtvaardig, rechtschapen, correct, fair
- Finnish: reilu, rehellinen, oikeudenmukainen, puolueeton, tasapuolinen
- German: fair
- Greek: δίκαιος
- Hebrew: , ,
- Italian: giusto, giusta, equo, equa
- Portuguese: honesto, justo, equilibrado
- Swedish: rättvis
adequate, reasonable, decent
- Chinese:
- Danish: rimelig
- Dutch: redelijk, schappelijk, doenbaar
- Finnish: kohtuullinen, kohtalainen, kelvollinen
- German: den Umständen entsprechend; angebracht; erträglich, ganz ordentlich (colloquial)
- Hebrew: , ,
- Italian: discreto, discreta
- Portuguese: adequado, decente
- Swedish: rimlig, skälig
light in color or pale
baseball: between the baselines
- Finnish: irti
Noun
Translations
celebration
market
professional event, trade fair
German
Adjective
fair- just, equitable, adequate, honest, in good
spirit
- ein faires Spiel
- Es ist nur fair, auch wenn alle gleich schlecht behandelt werden.
- ein faires Spiel
Antonyms
Synonyms
Derived terms
- Fairness, alternative Fairneß
- fair spielen, fair play, Fairplay
- fair-use-Doktrin
Irish
Pronunciation
- lang=ga|[fˠaɾʲ]
Verb
- to watch
Conjugation
Mutation
Extensive Definition
A fair is a gathering of people to display or
trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and
often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment.
Activities at fairs vary widely. Some are important showcases for
businessmen in agricultural, pastoral or horticultural districts
because they present opportunities to display and demonstrate the
latest machinery on the market.
Fairs are also known by many different names
around the world, such as agricultural
show, carnival,
fete or fête, county or
state fair, festival, market and show, etc. Flea markets
are sometimes incorporated into a fair.
Fayre
Fayre is an archaic spelling of fair, used mostly from the 15th to the 17th century. This spelling is now confusingly used for both fair and fare, the latter in the sense of 'food and drink'. In itself, the word means a gathering of stalls and amusements for public entertainment. The alternate spelling is an old fashioned affectation and is used in order to remind revellers and participants of medieval fayres and markets.Fairgrounds
The fair is an ancient tradition, and many communities have long had dedicated fairgrounds; others hold them in a variety of public places, including streets and town squares, or even in large private gardens. Fairs are often held in conjunction with a significant event, such as the anniversary of a local historical event, a seasonal event such as harvest time, or with a holiday such as Christmas.That part of a fair (commonly an American
fair such as a county or state fair) where amusement park
rides, entertainment and fast food
booths are concentrated is called the midway,
after the avenue of amusements at the 1893
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
History
In Roman times, fairs were holidays on which there was an intermission of labour and pleadings. In later centuries, on any special Christian religious occasion (particularly the anniversary dedication of a church), tradesmen would bring and sell their wares (even in the churchyards). Such fairs then continued annually, usually on the feast day of the patron saint to whom the church was dedicated. This custom was kept up until the reign of Henry VI, by which time there were a great many fairs kept on these patronal festivals, for example at Westminster on St. Peter's day, at London on St. Bartholomew's (the famous Bartholomew Fair, celebrated in Ben Jonson's play of the same name) and at Durham on St. Cuthbert's day.Pie-powder courts
Because of the great numbers of people attracted
by fairs they were often the scenes of riots and disturbances, so
the privilege of holding a fair was granted by royal
charter. At first they were only allowed in towns and places of
strength, or where there was some bishop, sheriff or governor who
could keep order. In time, various benefits became attached to
certain fairs, such as granting people the protection of a holiday,
and allowing them freedom from arrests in certain circumstances.
The officials were authorised to do justice to those that came to
their fair; eventually even the smallest fair would have had a
court to adjudicate on offences and disputes arising within the
fairground, which was called a pye powder court (from Old French
pied pouldre, an itinerant trader, which literally means "dusty
feet"), or pedes pulverizati.
Free fairs
Some fairs were free; others charged tolls and impositions. At free fairs, traders, whether natives of the kingdom or foreigners, were allowed to enter the kingdom, and were under royal protection while travelling to and returning from the fair. The traders, their agents, and their goods were exempt from all duties and impositions, tolls and servitudes; merchants going to or coming from the fair could not be arrested, or have their goods stopped.Such fairs (especially those of the Mediterranean
region and some inland regions, particularly Germany), were
extremely important in the commerce of Europe. The most
famous were those of:
- Plovdiv, (Bulgaria)
- Frankfurt, (Germany)
- Leipzig (Leipzig Trade Fair), (Germany)
- Poznań (Poznań International Fair), (Poland)
- Milan, Fiera di Senigaglia
- Rome, Porta Portese
- Novi, in the Milanese region of northern Italy
- Riga, (Latvia)
- Archangel
- St. Germain, at Paris, (France)
- Lyon, (France)
- Guibray, Normandy, (France)
- Beauclaire, Languedoc, (France)
- Portobelo, (Panama)
- Veracruz, (Mexico)
- Havana (Cuba)
- Sweden and Uppsala, the Disting
- Zagreb (Zagrebački velesajam)
- Banská Bystrica, Slovakia (Radvanský jarmok)
See also
External links
- A vivid description of Bartholomew Fair (in 1825) from Hone's Every Day Book
fair in Arabic: خوف
fair in Catalan: Fira
fair in Danish: Handelsmesse
fair in German: Messe (Wirtschaft)
fair in Spanish: Feria
fair in French: Foire
fair in Hebrew: יריד
fair in Italian: Fiera
fair in Dutch: Jaarmarkt
fair in Polish: Jarmark
fair in Portuguese: Feira
fair in Swedish: Marknad (evenemang)
fair in Turkish: Fuar
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Christian, Junoesque, Mardi Gras,
OK, Saturnalia, Saturnian, acceptable, accommodating, adequate, admissible, advantageous, affable, affably, agreeable, agreeably, alabaster, alabastrine, albescent, all right, amiable, amiably, amicable, amicably, amply endowed,
appropriate,
apt, attentive, attractive, auspicious, auto show,
average, balanced, balmy, banquet, bazaar, beauteous, beautiful, becoming, beneficial, benevolent, benign, benignant, better than
nothing, betwixt and between, blameless, bleached, blissful, blissfully, blond, blooming, blossoming, blowout, boat show, bon, bonny, booming, braw, bright, bright and fair, bueno, built, built for comfort, buxom, callipygian, callipygous, calm, candid, capital, carnival, charming, chaste, cheerful, cheerfully, civil, clarion, clean, cleanly, clear, clement, cloudless, cogent, comely, commendable, commercial
complex, common, compatible, complaisant, condign, congenial, considerate, cordial, cordially, courteous, cream, creamy, creditable, curvaceous, curvy, dainty, decent, decipherable, defensible, deferential, delicate, deserved, deservedly, desirable, detached, dirt-free, disinterested, disinterestedly,
dispassionate,
dispassionately,
do, dry, due, dulcet, dull, duly, dun-white, eggshell, elegant, emporium, en rapport, enchanting, enjoyable, enjoyably, equal, equally, equitable, equitably, erect, estimable, ethical, even, evenhanded, evenly, excellent, exhibit, exhibition, expedient, exposition, exquisite, exuberant, fair and pleasant,
fair and square, fair to middling, fairish, fairly, famous, fastidious, fat, favorable, favoring, feast, felicific, felicitous, festival, festive occasion,
festivity, fete, field day, fiesta, fine, fit, flaxen-haired, flea fair, flea
market, flourishing,
flowering, foreseeable, fortunate, free, fresh, fruiting, full of integrity,
full of promise, gala, gala
affair, gala day, genial,
genially, glaucescent, glaucous, goddess-like, going
strong, golden, good, good enough, good-looking,
goodish, goodly, graceful, gracious, graciously, grand, grateful, gratifying, gratifyingly, gray-white,
great doings, halcyon,
handsome, happy, harmonious, healthy, heart-warming, helpful, high jinks,
high-minded, high-principled, highly respectable, honest, honeyed, honorable, hopeful, immaculate, impartial, impartially, impersonal, impersonally, in full
swing, in good case, in the cards, in the clear, indifferent, insipid, intermediate, inviolate, irreproachable, ivory, ivory-white, jamboree, just, justifiable, justifiably, justified, justifiedly, justly, kermis, kind, kindly, kosher, lackluster, laudable, law-abiding,
law-loving, law-revering, lawful, legal, legible, legitimate, level, liable, light, light-colored, light-hued,
likable, likely, lint-white, lovely, lovely to behold,
lucky, manly, market, market overt, marketplace, mart, mean, mediocre, medium, meet, meet and right, meetly, mellifluous, mellow, merited, middling, mild, moderate, modest, moral, namby-pamby, neutral, nice, noble, nonpartisan, nonpolluted, not amiss, not
bad, not half bad, not so bad, objective, obliging, odds-on, of a kind,
of a sort, of cleanly habits, of good omen, of happy portent, of
promise, of sorts, off-white, okay, open, open market, open-minded,
ordinary, pale, palmy, party, passable, pastel, pearl, pearly, pearly-white, personable, picnic, piping, placid, plaza, pleasant, pleasantly, pleasing, pleasingly, pleasurable, pleasurably,
pleasure-giving, pleasureful, pneumatic, polite, predictable within
limits, presentable,
presumptive,
pretty, pretty good,
principled, probable, profitable, promising, proper, properly, propitious, prospering, prosperous, pulchritudinous,
pure, rainless, rational, readable, reasonable, regal, reputable, respectable, respectful, rewarding, rialto, right, right and proper,
right-minded, righteous, rightful, rightfully, rightly, ritually pure, rosy, royal, ruddy, sane, satisfactory, satisfying, satisfyingly, shapely, shiny, shopping center, shopping
mall, shopping plaza, show,
sightly, skillful, sleek, slender, smut-free, smutless, so so, so-so,
solicitous, sound, splendid, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly, spotless, square, stacked, stainless, staple, statistically probable,
statuesque, sterling, straight, straightforward, street
market, sufficient,
sunny, sunshine, sunshiny, sweet, tactful, tahar, tawny, tedious, thoughtful, thriving, tidy, tolerable, trade fair,
tranquil, true-dealing,
true-devoted, true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, trustworthy, tubbed, unadulterated, unbesmirched, unbiased, unblemished, unblotted, unclouded, uncoded, uncolored, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undarkened, undazzled, undefiled, unenciphered, unexceptionable,
unimpeachable,
uninfluenced,
unjaundiced,
unmuddied, unobjectionable,
unobstructed,
unpolluted, unprejudiced, unprepossessed, unsmirched, unsmudged, unsoiled, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, unswayed, untainted, untarnished, upon even
terms, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, urbane, useful, valid, vapid, verisimilar, very good,
vigorous, virtuous, warrantable, warrantably, warranted, warrantedly, waygoose, wayzgoose, welcome, well-built,
well-favored, well-formed, well-made, well-proportioned,
well-scrubbed, well-shaped, well-stacked, well-washed, white, whitened, whitish, whity, wishy-washy, without
distinction, workmanlike, worthy, yeomanly