Etymology dictionary
Freddie Mac — frigate (n.)
Freddie Mac
by 1992, vaguely from Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.
Frederick
masc. proper name, from French Frédéric, from German Friedrich, from Old High German Fridurih, from Proto-Germanic *frithu-rik, literally "peace-rule," from *rik- "rule" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule") + *frithu- "peace" (source also of Old English friðu "peace, truce"), from suffixed form of PIE root *pri- "to be friendly, to love."
Related to the first half of Friday and the second half of afraid, also the second element in Siegfried, Godfrey, Geoffrey. Not a common name in medieval England, found mostly in the eastern counties.
free (adj.)
Old English freo "exempt from; not in bondage, acting of one's own will," also "noble; joyful," from Proto-Germanic *friaz "beloved; not in bondage" (source also of Old Frisian fri, Old Saxon vri, Old High German vri, German frei, Dutch vrij, Gothic freis "free"), from PIE *priy-a- "dear, beloved," from root *pri- "to love."
The sense evolution from "to love" to "free" is perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves; compare Latin liberi, meaning both "free persons" and "children of a family"). For the older sense in Germanic, compare Gothic frijon "to love;" Old English freod "affection, friendship, peace," friga "love," friðu "peace;" Old Norse friðr "peace, personal security; love, friendship," German Friede "peace;" Old English freo "wife;" Old Norse Frigg, name of the wife of Odin, literally "beloved" or "loving;" Middle Low German vrien "to take to wife," Dutch vrijen, German freien "to woo."
Meaning "clear of obstruction" is from mid-13c.; sense of "unrestrained in movement" is from c. 1300; of animals, "loose, at liberty, wild," late 14c. Meaning "liberal, not parsimonious" is from c. 1300. Sense of "characterized by liberty of action or expression" is from 1630s; of art, etc., "not holding strictly to rule or form," from 1813. Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," recorded in English from late 14c. (Free world "non-communist nations" attested from 1950 on notion of "based on principles of civil liberty.") Sense of "given without cost" is 1580s, from notion of "free of cost."
Free lunch, originally offered in bars to draw in customers, by 1850, American English. Free pass on railways, etc., attested by 1850. Free speech in Britain was used of a privilege in Parliament since the time of Henry VIII. In U.S., in reference to a civil right to expression, it became a prominent phrase in the debates over the Gag Rule (1836). Free enterprise recorded from 1832; free trade is from 1823; free market from 1630s. Free will is from early 13c. Free school is from late 15c. Free association in psychology is from 1899. Free love "sexual liberation" attested from 1822 (the doctrine itself is much older), American English. Free and easy "unrestrained" is from 1690s.
free (v.)
Old English freogan "to free, liberate, manumit," also "to love, think of lovingly, honor;" also "to rid (of something)," from freo "not in bondage" (see free (adj.)). The forking sense in the Germanic adjective is reflected in the verbs that grew from it in the daughter languages. Compare Old Frisian fria "to make free;" Old Saxon friohan "to court, woo;" German befreien "to free," freien "to woo;" Old Norse frja "to love;" Gothic frijon "to love." Related: Freed; freeing.
freebase
1980 (noun and verb), in reference to cocaine. As a chemical process, it returns a salt form of an alkaloid to its pure form. Related: Freebased; freebasing.
freebie
also freeby, 1942 (adj.) "for nothing, without charge;" 1946 (n.) "something given for free;" perhaps as early as 1900; formed "Arbitrarily" [OED] from free (adj.). Compare newbie, rudesby.
freebooter (n.)
1560s, loan-translation of Dutch vrijbuiter "plunderer, robber," from vrijbuiten "to rob, plunder," from vrijbuit "plunder," literally "free booty," from vrij "free" (from Proto-Germanic *frijaz, from PIE root *pri- "to love") + buit "booty," from buiten "to exchange or plunder," from Middle Dutch buten, related to Middle Low German bute "exchange" (see booty).
The English word, Danish fribytter, Swedish fribytare, and German Freibeuter were formed on the model of the Dutch word, which is the source of filibuster (q.v.). The back-formed verb freeboot is recorded from 1590s. Related: Freebooting; freebootery.
free-born (adj.)
"inheriting liberty," mid-14c., from free (adj.) + born. Old English had freolic (adj.) "free, free-born; glorious, magnificent, noble; beautiful, charming," which became Middle English freli, "a stock epithet of compliment," but which died out, perhaps as the form merged with that of freely (adv.).
freedman (n.)
"manumitted slave," c. 1600, from past participle of free (adj.) + man (n.). Especially in U.S. history. The older word is freeman. Freedman's Bureau (1865) was the popular name of the "Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands," an office of the War Department established by Congress March 3, 1865, and discontinued in 1872.
freedom (n.)
Old English freodom "power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance;" see free (adj.) + -dom. Meaning "exemption from arbitrary or despotic control, civil liberty" is from late 14c. Meaning "possession of particular privileges" is from 1570s. Similar formation in Old Frisian fridom, Dutch vrijdom, Middle Low German vridom.
Freedom fighter attested by 1903 (originally with reference to Cuba). Freedom-loving (adj.) is from 1841. Freedom-rider is recorded from 1961 in reference to civil rights activists in U.S. trying to integrate bus lines.
free-fall (n.)
also freefall, "motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it," by 1906, from free (adj.) + fall (v.). Related: Free-falling (1962).
free-for-all (n.)
"mass brawl" (one in which all may participate), 1918, from earlier adjective use (1868), especially in reference to open horse races, American English. Earlier as a noun in reference to free-for-all horse and motorcar races.
free-handed (adj.)
"generous, liberal," 1650s, from free (adj.) + -handed.
free-hand (adv.)
of drawing, "done without guiding instruments such as engineer's curves," 1848; see free (adj.) + hand (n.).
freehold (n.)
"landed estate in possession of a freeman," late 15c., later generalized to any outright ownership of land, a translation of Anglo-French fraunc tenement; see free (adj.) + hold (n.1).
freeholder (n.)
"one who owns land outright," early 15c.; see freehold.
free-lance (n.)
also freelance, "medieval mercenary warrior," 1820 ("Ivanhoe"), from free (adj.) + lance (n.); apparently a coinage of Sir Walter Scott's. The description of them resembles that of the Italian condottieri. Figurative sense is from 1864; specifically of journalism by 1882.
freelance (v.)
1902, from free-lance (n.). Related: Freelancer (1898); freelanced; freelancing.
freely (adv.)
Middle English frely, from Old English freolice "of one's own accord, readily;" see free (adj.) + -ly (2). Meaning "unstintedly; plentifully" is from c. 1300; that of "without constraint, under free conditions" is from 1590s. Similar formation in Middle Low German vrilike, Dutch vrijelijk "freely," German freilich "to be sure."
free-liver (n.)
"one who indulges the appetites," 1711, from free (adj.) + liver (n.2). Related: Free-living.
freeloader (n.)
also free-loader, by 1939, from free (adj.) + agent noun from load (v.). Related: Freeloading. As a verb, freeload is attested by 1967 and probably is a back-formation from this.
freeman (n.)
Old English freoman "free-born man;" see free (adj.) + man (n.). Similar formation in Old Frisian frimon, Dutch vrijman, Old High German friman.
freemason (n.)
late 14c., originally a traveling guild of masons with a secret code; in the early 17c. they began accepting honorary members and teaching them the secrets and lore, which was continued into or revived in the 17th century and by 1717 had developed into the secret fraternity of affiliated lodges known as Free and Accepted Masons (commonly abbreviated F. and A. M.). The accepted refers to persons admitted to the society but not belonging to the craft.
The exact origin of the free- is a subject of dispute. Some [such as Klein] see a corruption of French frère "brother," from frèremaçon "brother mason;" others say it was because the masons worked on "free-standing" stones; still others see them as "free" from the control of local guilds or lords [OED]. Related: freemasonic.
freemasonry (n.)
mid-15c., from freemason + -ry.
freeness (n.)
mid-15c., from free (adj.) + -ness.
freer (adj.)
comparative of free (adj.). See -er (2).
freer (n.)
"one who sets free," c. 1600, from free + -er (1). An Old English word for this was freogend.
free-range (adj.)
1960, from free range (n.) "open space available for free movement" (especially of domestic animals), 1821; see free (adj.) + range (n.). As a noun from 1912.
free-soil (adj.)
in U.S. history, "opposed to expansion of slavery into the territories," 1846, from free soil (n.) in reference to settled regions without slavery, from free (adj.) + soil (n.). Related: Free-soiler.
free-spirited (adj.)
also freespirited, 1670s, from free (adj.) + -spirited.
free-spoken (adj.)
"accustomed to speaking without reserve," 1620s, from free (adj.) + -spoken.
free-standing (adj.)
1841, from free (adj.) + standing (adj.).
freestyle (n.)
also free-style, 1912, in swimming, in reference to a distance race in which the swimmers may use whatever stroke they choose; 1950 in general use, from free + style. The most common stroke is the front crawl, as this is generally the fastest. As an adjective, from 1957; as a verb, by 1970 (in martial arts).
free-thinker (n.)
"one not guided in belief by authority; one who submits the claims of authority to what he deems the test of reason," 1690s, from free (adj.) + think (v.) + agent noun suffix -er (1). Free-thought "rationalism" is from 1711. Related: Free-thinking.
free verse (n.)
1869; Englishing of vers libre.
freeway (n.)
1930, from free (adj.) + way (n.).
free-wheeling (adj.)
also freewheeling, 1903, from free wheel (1899, see free (adj.) + wheel (n.)); a bicycle wheel that turns even when not being pedaled, later from the name of a kind of automobile drive system that allowed cars to coast without being slowed by the engine. Figurative sense is from 1911.
freeze (v.)
alteration of freese, friese, from Middle English fresen, from Old English freosan (intransitive) "turn to ice" (class II strong verb; past tense freas, past participle froren), from Proto-Germanic *freusan "to freeze" (source also of Dutch vriezen, Old Norse frjosa, Old High German friosan, German frieren "to freeze," and related to Gothic frius "frost"), from Proto-Germanic *freus-, equivalent to PIE root *preus- "to freeze," also "to burn" (source also of Sanskrit prusva, Latin pruina "hoarfrost," Welsh rhew "frost," Sanskrit prustah "burnt," Albanian prus "burning coals," Latin pruna "a live coal").
Of weather, "be cold enough to freeze," 13c. Meaning "perish from cold" is c. 1300. Transitive sense "harden into ice, congeal as if by frost" first recorded late 14c.; figurative sense late 14c., "make hard or unfeeling." Intransitive meaning "become rigid or motionless" attested by 1720. Sense of "fix at a certain level" is from 1933; of assets, "make non-transactable," from 1922. Freeze frame is from 1960, originally "a briefly Frozen Shot after the Jingle to allow ample time for Change over at the end of a T.V. 'Commercial.' " ["ABC of Film & TV," 1960].
freeze (n.)
"freezing conditions," c. 1400, from freeze (v.).
freeze-dried (adj.)
1946, from freeze (v.) + past participle of dry (v.).
freezer (n.)
1847 as the name of a type of large tin can used in ice-cream manufacture; from freeze (v.) + -er (1). As a household appliance, from 1945. Freezer burn attested from 1929.
Frey
god of the earth's fruitfulness in Norse mythology, from Old Norse frey "lord," from Proto-Germanic *frawan "lord," from suffixed form of PIE *pro-, from root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before, first, chief."
freight (n.)
early 15c. "transporting of goods and passengers by water," variant of fraght, which is from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vracht, vrecht (see fraught). Danish fragt, Swedish frakt apparently also are from Dutch or Frisian. Also from Low German are Portuguese frete, Spanish flete, and French fret, which might have changed the vowel in this variant of the English word. Meaning "cargo of a ship" is from c. 1500. Freight-train is from 1841.
freight (v.)
"to load (a ship) with goods or merchandise for shipment," mid-15c. variant of Middle English fraught (v.) "to load (a ship)," c. 1400; see fraught, and compare freight (n.). Figuratively, "to carry or transport," 1530s. Related: Freighted; freighting.
freightage (n.)
1690s, "money paid for transporting," a hybrid word, from freight (n.) + -age. From 1803 as "freight, cargo." The older word was fraughtage (late 14c.).
freighter (n.)
1620s, "one who loads (a ship)," agent noun from freight (v.). Meaning "a cargo vessel" is from 1839, American English.
fremd (adj.)
Northern English and Scottish survival of Middle English fremed "foreign; remote; unfamiliar; not related; unheard-of; unfriendly, distant and formal;" as a noun, "a stranger," from Old English fremde (Northumbrian fremþe); cognate with Old Saxon fremithi, Old Frisian fremed, Dutch vreemd, Old High German framidi, German fremd, Gothic framaþs "strange, foreign." In the Old English glossaries, fremde glosses Latin exter, alienus.
French (n.)
from Old English frencisc (early Middle English frencisc, frenscen) "French person; the French nation," from the adjective (see French (adj.)). From c. 1300 as "the French language." Euphemistic meaning "bad language" (pardon my French) is from 1895. French Français is from Medieval Latin *francencis, from francus "a Frank" + nationality suffix -ensis "belonging to" (see -ese).
French (adj.)
c. 1200, frensh, frenche, "pertaining to France or the French," from Old English frencisc "French," originally "of the Franks," from franca, the people name (see Frank). A similar contraction of -ish is in Dutch, Scotch, Welsh, suggesting the habit applies to the names of only the intimate neighbors.
In some provincial forms of English it could mean simply "foreign." Used in many combination-words, often dealing with food or sex: French dressing (by 1860); French toast (1630s); French letter "condom" (c. 1856, perhaps on resemblance of sheepskin and parchment), french (v.) "perform oral sex on," and French kiss (1923) all probably stem from the Anglo-Saxon equation of Gallic culture and sexual sophistication, a sense first recorded 1749 in the phrase French novel. (In late 19c.-early 20c., a French kiss was a kiss on each cheek.) French-Canadian is from 1774; French doors is by 1847. To take French leave, "depart without telling the host," is 1771, from a social custom then prevalent. However, this is said to be called in France filer à l'anglaise, literally "to take English leave."
french (v.)
"perform oral sex on," c. 1917, from French (adj.), reflecting Anglo-Saxon equation of Gallic culture and sexual sophistication. Related: Frenched; frenching.
French fries (n.)
1903, American English, earlier French fried potatoes (by 1856); see French (adj.) + fry (v.). Literally "potatoes fried in the French style." The name is from the method of making them by immersion in fat, which was then considered a peculiarity of French cooking.
French frieds (1944) never caught on. Simple short form fries attested by 1973. In the Upper Midwest of the U.S., sometimes called, with greater accuracy, American fries (1950), and briefly during a period of mutual ill feeling, an attempt was made at freedom fries (2003; compare liberty-cabbage for sauerkraut during World War I). Related: French-fry.
Frenchify (v.)
1590s, from French + -ify. Usually contemptuous (Richardson in his introduction to "Pamela," beseeches the editor not to "Frenchify our English solidity into froth and whip-syllabub"). Related: Frenchified; Frenchifying.
frenetic (adj.)
late 14c., frenetik, "temporarily deranged, delirious, crazed," from Old French frenetike "mad, crazy" (13c.), from Latin phreneticus "delirious," alteration of Greek phrenitikos, from phrenitis (nosos) "frenzy, mental disease, insanity," literally "inflammation of the brain," from phrēn "mind, reason," also "diaphragm" (see phreno-) + -itis "inflammation." The classical ph- sometimes was restored from mid-16c. (see phrenetic). Related: Frenetical; frenetically. Compare frantic.
frenum (n.)
1741, from Latin frenum "a bridle, curb, bit," which is of unknown origin.
frenzy (v.)
1795, from frenzy (n.). Related: Frenzied; frenzying.
frenzy (n.)
mid-14c., "delirium, insanity," from Old French frenesie "frenzy, madness" (13c.), from Medieval Latin phrenesia, from phrenesis, back-formation from Latin phreneticus "delirious" (see frenetic). Meaning "excited state of mind" is from c. 1400.
frenzied (adj.)
1796, past-participle adjective from frenzy (v.). Related: Frenziedly.
Freon (n.)
1932, proprietary name in U.S. for fluorocarbons used in refrigeration technology. "The name was apparently constructed from fre(eze) + -on used as an arbitrary suffix" [Flood].
frequence (n.)
1530s, "an assembling in large numbers," from French fréquence, from Latin frequentia "an assembling in great numbers" (see frequent). From c. 1600 as "frequent occurrence."
frequency (n.)
1550s, "state of being crowded" (now obsolete); 1640s, "fact of occurring often;" from Latin frequentia "an assembling in great numbers, a crowding; crowd, multitude, throng," from frequentem (see frequent). Sense in physics, "rate of recurrence," especially of a vibration, is from 1831. In radio electronics, frequency modulation (1922, abbreviated F.M.) as a system of broadcasting is distinguished from amplitude modulation (or A.M.).
frequently (adv.)
"often and at short intervals," 1530s, from frequent (adj.) + -ly (2).
frequentative (n.)
"verb which expresses repetition of action," 1520s, from French fréquentatif, from Late Latin frequentativus "serving to denote the repetition of an act," from Latin frequentat-, past-participle stem of frequentare "visit regularly; do frequently, repeat," from frequentem (see frequent (adj.)). Frequentive is considered incorrect, because -ive adjectives are normally formed on the Latin past participle.
frequent (adj.)
mid-15c., "ample, profuse," from Old French frequent, or directly from Latin frequentem (nominative frequens) "often, regular, repeated; in great numbers, crowded, numerous, filled, full, populous," which is of uncertain origin. Watkins says probably from PIE *bhrekw- "to cram together," and compares Greek phrassein "to fence in," Latin farcire "to cram," But Beekes regards the connection to the Greek word as "quite uncertain." Meaning "common, usual" is from 1530s; that of "happening at short intervals, often recurring" is from c. 1600.
frequent (v.)
late 15c., "visit or associate with," from Old French frequenter "attend frequently; assemble, gather together," from Latin frequentare "visit regularly; do frequently, repeat; assemble in throngs," from frequentem (see frequent (adj.)). Meaning "visit often" is from 1550s. Related: Frequented; frequenter; frequenting.
fresco (n.)
1590s, in fresco, literally "in fresh," with a sense of "painted on fresh mortar or plaster," from Italian fresco "cool, fresh," as a noun "coolness, fresh air," from Old High German frisc, from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (see fresh (adj.1)). As a verb from 1849. Related: Frescoed. In 17c.-18c. it also could mean "coolness, shade."
fresh (adj.1)
c. 1200, fresh, also fersh, "unsalted; pure; sweet; eager;" the modern form is a metathesis of Old English fersc, of water, "not salt, unsalted," itself transposed from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (source also of Old Frisian fersk, Middle Dutch versch, Dutch vers, Old High German frisc, German frisch "fresh"). Probably cognate with Old Church Slavonic presinu "fresh," Lithuanian preskas "sweet."
Sense of "new, recent" is from c. 1300; that of "not stale or worn" is from early 14c.; of memories from mid-14c. The metathesis, and the expanded Middle English senses of "new," "pure," "eager" probably are by influence of (or from) Old French fres (fem. fresche; Modern French frais "fresh, cool"), which is from Proto-Germanic *frisko-, and thus related to the English word. The Germanic root also is the source of Italian and Spanish fresco. Related: Freshly. Fresh pursuit in law is pursuit of the wrong-doer while the crime is fresh.
fresh (adj.2)
"impudent, presumptuous," or as Century Dictionary puts it, "verdant and conceited," 1848, U.S. slang, probably from German frech "insolent, cheeky," from Old High German freh "covetous," related to Old English frec "greedy, bold" (see freak (n.2)).
freshness (n.)
"condition or quality of being fresh" in any sense, late 14c., from fresh (adj.1) + -ness.
freshen (v.)
1690s, "grow brisk, grow stronger" (intransitive), from fresh (adj.1) + -en (1). The earlier verb was simply fresh (mid-14c.). Transitive sense "refresh, revive, renew" is from 1749. Of a drink, "to top off," from 1961. Related: Freshened; freshening.
freshet (n.)
1590s, "stream of fresh water; stream flowing into the sea," from obsolete fresh (n.) "a stream in flood" (1530s), also "mingling of fresh and salt water," from fresh (adj.1). Old English had fersceta in the same sense. Meaning "small flood or increased flow of an ebb tide caused by rain or melting snow" is from 1650s.
freshman (n.)
1550s, "newcomer, novice," from fresh (adj.1) in the sense "making one's first acquaintance, inexperienced" + man (n.). Sense of "university student in first year" is attested from 1590s. As an adjective by 1805. Freshwoman is from 1620s. Related: Freshmen; freshmanic, freshmanship, freshmanhood.
fresh-water (adj.)
also freshwater, "pertaining to, produced by, living in, or situated on water that is not salt," 1520s, from fresh (adj.1) + water (n.1).
fret (n.1)
"ornamental interlaced pattern," late 14c., from Old French frete "interlaced work, trellis work," probably from Frankish *fetur or another Germanic source (cognates: Old English fetor, Old High German feggara "a fetter, shackle") perhaps from the notion of "decorative anklet," or of materials "bound" together.
fret (n.2)
"ridge on the fingerboard of a guitar," c. 1500, of unknown origin, possibly from another sense of Old French frete "ring, ferule." Compare Middle English fret "a tie or lace" (early 14c.), freten (v.) "to bind, fasten" (mid-14c.).
fret (v.)
Old English fretan "devour, feed upon, consume," from Proto-Germanic compound *fra-etan "to eat up," from *fra- "completely" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + *etan "to eat" (from PIE root *ed- "to eat"). Cognates include Dutch vreten, Old High German frezzan, German fressen, Gothic fraitan.
Used of monsters and Vikings; in Middle English used of animals' eating. Notion of "wear away by rubbing or scraping" (c. 1200) might have come to this word by sound-association with Anglo-French forms of Old French froter "to rub, wipe; beat, thrash," which is from Latin fricare "to rub" (see friction). Figurative use is from c. 1200, of emotions, sins, vices, etc., "to worry, consume, vex" someone or someone's heart or mind, from either the "eating" or the "rubbing" sense. Intransitive sense "be worried, vex oneself" is by 1550s. Modern German still distinguishes essen for humans and fressen for animals. Related: Fretted; fretting. As a noun, early 15c., "a gnawing," also "the wearing effect" of awareness of wrongdoing, fear, etc.
fretful (adj.)
1590s, "gnawing; disposed to fret," from fret (n.) (see fret (v.)) + -ful. Related: Fretfully; fretfulness.
fretless (adj.)
1878, "without annoyance," from fret (n.) (see fret (v.)) + -less. By 1962 as "without frets" (of a banjo, guitar, etc.), from fret (n.2).
fretwork (n.)
also fret-work, "ornamental work consisting of frets," c. 1600, from fret (n.1) + work (n.).
Freudian (adj.)
1910, of or pertaining to the work or theories of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Austrian psychiatrist. Freudian slip first attested 1959 (for an earlier word for a similar notion, see heterophemy).
Freya
goddess of sexual love and beauty in Norse mythology, from Old Norse Freyja, which is related to Old English frea "lord;" Old Saxon frua, Middle Dutch vrouwe "woman, wife," German Frau; see frau).
fried (adj.)
mid-14c., past-participle adjective from fry (v.). Fried chicken attested by 1832.
friable (adj.)
"easily crumbled or pulverized; easily reduced to powder," 1560s, from French friable (16c.) and directly from Latin friabilis "easily crumbled or broken," from friare "rub away, crumble into small pieces," related to fricare "to rub" (see friction). Related: Friability. "Confusion between the common word meaning crumbly & the -able adjective from fry is not likely enough to justify the irregular spelling fryable for the latter ...." [Fowler].
friar (n.)
"member of one of the mendicant monastic orders of the Church," late 13c., frere, from Old French frere "brother, friar" (9c., Modern French frère), originally referring to the mendicant orders (Franciscans, Augustines, Dominicans, Carmelites), who reached England early 13c., from Latin frater "brother" (from PIE root *bhrater- "brother"). Also in general use, "brother, friend, comrade" (c. 1300).
friary (n.)
"convent of friars, monastery," 1530s, from French, from Old French frarie, from Medieval Latin fratria "a fraternity," from frater "brother" (from PIE root *bhrater- "brother").
fricative (adj.)
1854, literally "characterized by friction," from Modern Latin fricativus, from Latin fricat-, past participle stem of fricare "to rub" (see friction). As a noun, "a fricative consonant," from 1863.
fricassee (n.)
1560s, from French fricassée, noun use of fem. past participle of fricasser "mince and cook in sauce" (15c.), which is of uncertain origin. Perhaps a compound from elements related to or altered by French frire "to fry" (see fry (v.)) and casser, quasser "to break, cut up" (see quash (v.)). As a verb, from 1650s.
fricking (adj.)
euphemism for fucking, by 1913. Related: Frick (v.).
friction (n.)
1560s, "a chafing, rubbing," from French friction (16c.) and directly from Latin frictionem (nominative frictio) "a rubbing, rubbing down," noun of action from past-participle stem of fricare "to rub, rub down," which is of uncertain origin. Watkins suggests possibly from PIE root *bhreie- "to rub, break." De Vaan suggests a PIE bhriH-o- "to cut" and compares Sanskrit bhrinanti, Old Church Slavonic briti "to shave." Sense of "resistance to motion" is from 1722; figurative sense of "disagreement, clash, lack of harmony, mutual irritation" first recorded 1761. Related: Frictional.
Friday (n.)
sixth day of the week, Old English frigedæg "Friday, Frigga's day," from Frige, genitive of *Frigu (see Frigg), Germanic goddess of married love. The day name is a West Germanic translation of Latin dies Veneris "day of (the planet) Venus," which itself translated Greek Aphrodites hēmera.
Compare Old Norse frijadagr, Old Frisian frigendei, Middle Dutch vridach, Dutch vrijdag, German Freitag "Friday," and the Latin-derived cognates Old French vendresdi, French vendredi, Spanish viernes. In Germanic religion, Freya (q.v.) corresponds more closely in character to Venus than Frigg does, and some early Icelandic writers used Freyjudagr for "Friday."
A fast-day in the Church, hence Friday face (17c.) for a gloomy countenance.
fridge (n.)
shortened and altered form of refrigerator, 1926, an unusual way of word-formation in English; perhaps influenced by Frigidaire (1919), name of a popular early brand of self-contained automatically operated iceless refrigerator (Frigidaire Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.), a name suggesting Latin frigidarium "a cooling room in a bath." Frigerator as a colloquial shortening is attested by 1886.
Friedrich
see Frederick.
friend (n.)
Old English freond "one attached to another by feelings of personal regard and preference," from Proto-Germanic *frijōjands "lover, friend" (source also of Old Norse frændi, Old Danish frynt, Old Frisian friund, Dutch vriend, Middle High German friunt, German Freund, Gothic frijonds "friend"), from PIE *priy-ont-, "loving," present-participle form of root *pri- "to love."
Meaning "a Quaker" (a member of the Society of Friends) is from 1670s. Feond ("fiend," originally "enemy") and freond often were paired alliteratively in Old English; both are masculine agent nouns derived from present participle of verbs, but they are not directly related to one another (see fiend). Related: Friends.
friend (v.)
in the Facebook sense, attested from 2005, from the noun. Friend occasionally has been used as a verb in English since c. 1200 ("to be friends"), though the more usual verb for "join in friendship, act as a friend" is befriend. Related: Friended; friending. Old English had freonsped "an abundance of friends" (see speed (n.)); freondleast "want of friends;" freondspedig "rich in friends."
friendless (adj.)
Old English freondleas "friendless," also "orphan," and, as a noun, "an outlaw;" see friend (n.) + -less. Related: Friendlessly; friendlessness.
friendly (adj.)
Old English freondlic "well-disposed, kindly;" see friend (n.) + -ly (1). Related: Friendlily; friendliness. As an adverb Old English had freondliche, but by 14c. as the inflections wore off in English it had become indistinguishable from the adjective. Probably owing to that it is rare in modern use; friendfully (mid-15c.) and the correct but ungainly friendlily (1670s) never caught on.
friendship (n.)
Old English freondscipe "friendship, mutual liking and regard," also "conjugal love;" see friend (n.) + -ship. Similar formation in Dutch vriendschap, German Freundschaft, Swedish frändskap.
frieze (n.1)
"sculptured horizontal band in architecture," 1560s, from French frise, originally "a ruff," from Medieval Latin frisium "embroidered border," variant of frigium, which is probably from Latin Phrygium "Phrygian; Phrygian work," from Phrygia, the ancient country in Asia Minor known for its embroidery (Latin also had Phrygiae vestes "ornate garments"). Meaning "decorative band along the top of a wall" was in Old French.
frieze (n.2)
type of coarse woolen cloth with a nap on one side, late 14c., from Old French frise, probably ultimately from a German or Dutch word meaning "to curl" and related to frizzle.
frig (v.)
"to move about restlessly," mid-15c., perhaps a variant of frisk (q.v.). As a euphemism for "to fuck" it dates from 1550s (frigging); from 1670s as "to masturbate." Related: Frigged; frigging.
frigging (adj.)
by 1936 as an expletive, from present participle of frig. Perhaps felt as euphemistic.
frigate (n.)
1580s, from French frégate (1520s), from Italian fregata (Neapolitan fregate), which with many names for types of sea vessels is of unknown origin. It is common to the Mediterranean languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan fragata). Originally a small, swift vessel; the word was applied to progressively larger types over the years.
In the old sailing navy usually they carried guns on a raised quarter-deck and forecastle, hence frigate-built (1650s) of a vessel having the quarter-deck and forecastle raised above the main-deck.