Where does “friherre” come from?
friherre (Swedish) comes from German Freiherr, from German frei, from Middle High German vrî, from Old High German frī, from Proto-West Germanic frī, from Proto-Germanic frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European priHós, from Proto-Indo-European preyH- — to love, to please.
Ancestry of “friherre”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Freiherr | baron |
| 2 | German | frei | free; unenslaved; unimprisoned; free;... |
| 3 | Middle High German | vrî | — |
| 4 | Old High German | frī | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | frī | free |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | frijaz | free |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | priHós | dear, beloved; happy, free |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | preyH- | to love, to please |