Plural of 'ain,' a Scots word meaning 'own' or referring to a landowner; also a type of Hebrew letter or character.
From Scots English 'ain' (own), or from Hebrew 'aleph-yod-nun' (aw-yay-noon), the 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Scots usage relates to property ownership, while the Hebrew usage refers to the alphabet.
The word 'ains' shows how one spelling can have completely different meanings—Scottish landowners 'ains' their property, while Hebrew scholars study the 'ayin' letter. Language is like having different filing cabinets for homophones!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.