Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fringe” come from?

Fringe comes from Middle English frenge, from Old French frenge, from Vulgar Latin frimbia, from Latin fimbriae meaning fibers or threads forming a border.

fringe (English): A decorative border; A marginal or peripheral...

Definitions

  1. A decorative border; A marginal or peripheral...

Ancestry of “fringe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfrengefringe
2Old Frenchfrengefringe
3Vulgar Latinfrimbia—
4Latinfimbriaefibres, threads, shreds, fringe; nominative...
5Latinfimbriafringe, border, edge

Words derived from “fringe”

  • fringy
  • fringelike
  • fringeless
  • fringer
  • befringe
  • nonfringe
  • underfringe
  • fringeworthy
  • fringest
  • fringeth
  • fringefan
Every word from Latin fimbria →