Etymology Explorer › English

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.

Ancestry of “Free”, step by step

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-āre—
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
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