Where does “freien” come from?

freien (German) comes from Middle Low German vrīen, from Old Saxon friohon, from Proto-West Germanic frijōn, from Proto-Germanic frijōną, from Proto-Indo-European prāy- — to like, love.

freien (German): to marry; to ask for marriage; to propose; to...

Definitions

  1. to marry; to ask for marriage; to propose; to...

Ancestry of “freien”, step by step

freien traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Low German vrīen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanvrīento free; to marry
2Old Saxonfriohonto free, to liberate; to like, to love, to honour
3Proto-West Germanicfrijōnto love
4Proto-Germanicfrijōnąto love; to free; to like
5Proto-Indo-Europeanprāy-to like, love

via Middle High German vrīen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvrīen—
2Old High Germanfrīon—

Words derived from “freien”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European prāy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic frijōną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic frijōn →