Where does “fret” come from?
Fret comes from Old French fret, from Latin fretum, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-, meaning to break or wear away.
fret (English): "Especially" when describing animals: to consume,...
Definitions
- "Especially" when describing animals: to consume,...
Ancestry of “fret”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | frēten | to eat; to devour, eat up; to bite, chew; to... |
| 2 | Old French | freter | to fret |
| 3 | Old French | fret | charge; past participle of fraindre |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | vrecht | Alternative form of vracht; cost of transport |
| 5 | Old Dutch | frēht | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |