Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “frei” come from?

frei (German) comes from Middle High German vrî, from Old High German frī, from Proto-West Germanic frī, from Proto-Germanic frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European priHós, from Proto-Indo-European preyH- — to love, to please.

frei (German): free; unenslaved; unimprisoned; free;...

Definitions

  1. free; unenslaved; unimprisoned; free;...

Ancestry of “frei”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvrî—
2Old High Germanfrī—
3Proto-West Germanicfrīfree
4Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please

Words derived from “frei”

  • Freiburg
  • Freikorps
  • fehlerfrei
  • Freileitung
  • freiheitlich
  • hitzefrei
  • niederschlagsfrei
  • einwandfrei
  • freisprechen
  • Freiin
  • portofrei
  • gentechnikfrei
  • Freizeitzentrum
  • steuerfrei
  • Freistaat
  • freibleibend
  • mietfrei
  • wolkenfrei
  • schulfrei
  • schuldenfrei
  • wasserfrei
  • nahtfrei
  • giftfrei
  • Meinungsfreiheit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →