Where does “fresh” come from?

Fresh comes from Old English fersc, related to Old High German freh, both deriving from Proto-Indo-European preysk-, itself from pereg-, ultimately from the root (s)per-.

fresh (English): Newly produced or obtained; recent; Not cooked,...

Definitions

  1. Newly produced or obtained; recent; Not cooked,...

Ancestry of “fresh”, step by step

fresh traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via German frisch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfrischfresh; recent
2Middle High Germanvrisch—
3Old High Germanfriscfresh
4Proto-West Germanicfriskfresh; unsalted
5Proto-Germanicfriskazfresh; not salty, unsalted
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpreysk-fresh

via German frech

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfrechcheeky, barefaced, rude; naughty
2Middle High Germanvrechbold, brave, lively
3Old High Germanfrehuntamed
4Proto-West Germanicfrekgreedy
5Proto-Germanicfrekazgreedy
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpereg-—

via Middle English fressh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfresshfresh; new; newly updated
2Old Englishferscfresh

Words derived from “fresh”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European preysk- →Every word from Proto-Germanic friskaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic frisk →