Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “freier” come from?

freier (German) comes from German frei, 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.

freier (German): comparative degree of frei

Definitions

  1. comparative degree of frei

Ancestry of “freier”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfreifree; unenslaved; unimprisoned; free;...
2Middle High Germanvrî—
3Old High Germanfrī—
4Proto-West Germanicfrīfree
5Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →