In a faint or weak condition; barely visible or barely audible (archaic).
From 'a-' prefix plus 'faint' (from Old French faint, meaning weak or pale), with the 'a-' indicating a state or condition.
This is one of those wonderful archaic words that sounds like it means something different than it does—it sounds fierce, but it actually describes something barely there, like a faint whisper or shadow.
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