Where does “free” come from?

free (Middle English) comes from Old English frēo, from Proto-Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European priHós, from Proto-Indo-European preyH- — to love, to please.

Ancestry of “free”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfrēofree, joyful
2Proto-Germanic*frī—
3Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please

Words derived from “free”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European priHós →Every word from Proto-Germanic frijaz →