Where does “frest” come from?

frest (Middle English) comes from Old English fierst, from Proto-Germanic fristiz, from Proto-Indo-European pres-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “frest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfiersttime
2Proto-Germanicfristizan appointed time; date
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpres-to press
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pres- →