faun

[ fawn ]

noun

, Classical Mythology.

1. one of a class of rural deities represented as men with the ears, horns, tail, and later also the hind legs of a goat.

faun

/ fɔːn /

noun

1. (in Roman legend) a rural deity represented as a man with a goat's ears, horns, tail, and hind legs

Derived Forms

• ˈfaunˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• faunlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faun¹

1325–75; Middle English (< Old French faune ) < Latin faunus; Faunus

Word History and Origins

Origin of faun¹

C14: back formation from Faunes (plural), from Latin Faunus

Example Sentences

Ball’s came in “Afternoon of a Faun,” in which he subtly infused his role with an air of Nijinsky.

From New York Times

A rising corps member, Dominika Afanasenkov, with her long lines and lovely demeanor, certainly stands out in a crowd, but her debut in Robbins’s intimate “Afternoon of a Faun” opposite a dreamy, understated Christopher Grant, above, proved that she isn’t afraid to be seen on her own.

From New York Times

His farewell program offers a final chance, in a debut, Jerome Robbins’s “Afternoon of a Faun,” in which two dancers find themselves alone in a ballet studio with the audience, essentially, as their mirror.

From New York Times

“Faun” begins and ends with Ball alone, stretched out on the floor.

From New York Times

The movement for “Afternoon of a Faun” alludes to the two-dimensional choreography of Nijinsky’s dance to that Debussy piece, a nod to a predecessor of Naharin’s stylized animality.

From New York Times