Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fry” come from?

fry (Middle English) comes from Old Norse frjó, from Proto-Germanic fraiwą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)per- — to strew, sow, sprinkle; to sow, sprinkle, strew;...

fry (Middle English): seed, offspring

Definitions

  1. seed, offspring

Ancestry of “fry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsefrjóseed; inflection of frjór: ## strong feminine...
2Proto-Germanicfraiwąseed, semen; gender; offspring
3Proto-Indo-European(s)per-to strew, sow, sprinkle; to sow, sprinkle, strew;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)per- →