Where does “Free” come from?

Free comes from Old English freo, from Proto-Germanic frawjǭ, from Proto-Indo-European prōw-, from Proto-Indo-European prēy-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós.

Free (English): Unconstrained

Definitions

  1. Unconstrained

Ancestry of “Free”, step by step

Free traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English faller

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfallerOne who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,...
2English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
3Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
4Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
5Latin-ārefirst conjugation
6Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via Middle English fre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfrefree, independent, unrestricted; unblocked,...
2Old Englishfrēofree, joyful
3Proto-Germanic*frī
4Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please

via German arbeiter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanarbeiterworker male or of unspecified gender
2Middle High Germanarbeiterday laborer; craftsman

Words derived from “Free

Every word from Chichewa iye