Where does “fretful” come from?
fretful (English) comes from English FRET, from Middle English frēten, from Old French freter, from Old French fret, from Middle Dutch vrecht, from Old Dutch frēht, from Proto-Germanic fra-, from Proto-Indo-European pro- — passed , crossed.
fretful (English): Irritable, bad-tempered, grumpy or peevish;...
Definitions
- Irritable, bad-tempered, grumpy or peevish;...
Ancestry of “fretful”, step by step
fretful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English FRET
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | FRET | Förster resonance energy transfer; fluorescence... |
| 2 | Middle English | frēten | to eat; to devour, eat up; to bite, chew; to... |
| 3 | Old French | freter | to fret |
| 4 | Old French | fret | charge; past participle of fraindre |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | vrecht | Alternative form of vracht; cost of transport |
| 6 | Old Dutch | frēht | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |