Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “scotfreo” come from?

scotfreo (Old 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.

scotfreo (Old English): exempt from imposts; scot-free

Definitions

  1. exempt from imposts; scot-free

Ancestry of “scotfreo”, 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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →