Where does “fri” come from?
fri (Danish) comes from Middle Low German vrīen, from Old Saxon friohon, from Proto-West Germanic frijōn, from Proto-Germanic frijōną, from Proto-Indo-European prāy- — to like, love.
fri (Danish): to propose; free; vacant, unoccupied
Definitions
- to propose; free; vacant, unoccupied
Ancestry of “fri”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | vrīen | to free; to marry |
| 2 | Old Saxon | friohon | to free, to liberate; to like, to love, to honour |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | frijōn | to love |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | frijōną | to love; to free; to like |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | prāy- | to like, love |