English

Adjective

gainsome ‎(comparative more gainsome, superlative most gainsome)

1. Marked by gain; gainful; profitable.
   • 1843, Julius Rubens Ames, ‎Benjamin Lundy, The Legion of Liberty!:

     The cotton grower felt delight at the gainsome expansion of his cotton fields.

   • 2008, Raj Kumar, International Economics:

     We have the feasible potential to be competitive in a gainsome way in many sectors.

   • 2013 (original 1480), Sarah Annes Brown, ‎Andrew Taylor, Ovid in English, 1480-1625. Part One: Metamorphoses:

     It not consisteth all of pleasant words, / More gainsome tricks are there still to be found; [...]

Etymology 2

From gain ‎(“straight, direct, immediate, short”) +‎ -some.

Adjective

gainsome ‎(comparative more gainsome, superlative most gainsome)

1. Well-formed; handsome; gainly.