Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fraien” come from?

fraien (Middle English) comes from Middle English affraien, from Anglo-Norman afrayer, from Old French effreer, from Vulgar Latin exfridare, from Vulgar Latin *exfrido, from Frankish friþu, from Proto-Germanic friþuz, from Proto-Indo-European priHós — to love, to please.

Ancestry of “fraien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishaffraien—
2Anglo-Normanafrayerto terrify, disquiet, disturb; Alternative form...
3Old Frencheffreer—
4Vulgar Latinexfridare—
5Vulgar Latin*exfrido—
6Frankishfriþupeace, sanctuary; security, peace; peace
7Proto-Germanicfriþuzpeace, tranquility; sanctuary, refuge
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please

Words derived from “fraien”

  • fray
  • frayed
  • unfrayed
  • antifray
  • frayproof
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →