Where does “fri” come from?
fri (Middle Irish) comes from Old Irish fri, from Proto-Celtic writ-, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
fri (Middle Irish): towards, to
Ancestry of “fri”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Irish | fri | towards, to; against; with |
| 2 | Proto-Celtic | writ- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |