Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fretfully” come from?

Fretfully derives from English fretful, from English fret, from Latin fretum, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

fretfully (English): In a fretful manner

Definitions

  1. In a fretful manner

Ancestry of “fretfully”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfretfulIrritable, bad-tempered, grumpy or peevish;...
2EnglishFRETFörster resonance energy transfer; fluorescence...
3Middle Englishfrētento eat; to devour, eat up; to bite, chew; to...
4Old Frenchfreterto fret
5Old Frenchfretcharge; past participle of fraindre
6Middle DutchvrechtAlternative form of vracht; cost of transport
7Old Dutchfrēht—
8Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →