"F" Word Origins

frisson

Origin

Borrowed from French frisson.

frit

Origin

Either from French fritte, from frit (“fried”), or else from Italian fritta f (“fried”).

frittata

Italian

Borrowed directly from Italian frittata, from fritto ("fried").

fritter

Latin

The food sense comes from Old French friture ("frying"), from Latin frigere ("to fry"). The "waste" sense of the verb developed separately in English, likely from an older word for a small fragment.

Fritz

German

Origin uncertain, though it may be linked to "Fritz", a nickname once used for German soldiers; the exact connection to the "malfunction" sense is debated.

frivol

Origin

From French frivole, from Latin frīvolus (“trifling, worthless”).

frivolity

Latin

Borrowed from French frivolité, ultimately from Latin frivolus ("silly, trifling").

frivolosity

Origin

From frivol(ous) + -osity.

frivolous

Latin

From Latin frīvolus ("trifling, worthless"), with the English ending "-ous" added.

frizz

Origin

From Middle English frysen, from Old French friser, frizer (“to frizzle, crisp, curl, ruffle, braid, touch lightly, graze, scratch”), of Proto-Germanic origin, perhaps via Old Frankish *fris (“curl”), from Proto-Germanic *frisaz (“frizzy, curly”). Cognate with Old Frisian frisle, frēsle ("the hair of the head, lock of hair, curl, ringlet"; > North Frisian friessle, fressle (“hair, horse's tail”), West Frisian frisseljen (“braid of hair, braid”)), Old English frīs (“crisped, curled”).

frizzle

Origin

From frizz + -le. Cognate with West Frisian frisselje (“to plait, braid”), Old Frisian frisle, fresle (“head of the hair, lock of hair”). More at frizz.

frizzy

Origin

From "frizz" plus "-y".

fro

Old Norse

From Old Norse frá ("from"); a close relative of the word "from" that survived mainly in the set phrase "to and fro".

frock

Medieval Latin

From Old French froc ("a monk's habit"), tracing back through Medieval Latin to a Frankish word for a robe or tunic.

frog

Old English

From Old English frocga, going back to a Proto-West Germanic word for the animal.

frogfish

Origin

From frog + fish.

froggy

Origin

From "frog" plus the diminutive/adjective ending "-y".

frogman

Origin

From frog + man, due to the fact that frogs are amphibious.

frolic

German

From Dutch vrolijk ("cheerful"), related to German fröhlich.

frolicking

Origin

From "frolic" plus "-ing".

frolicsome

Origin

From frolic + -some.

from

Old English

From Old English fram/from ("forward, from"), going back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "forward, away".

Fromm

Origin

From the German and Jewish surname, from fromm (“pious”).

fromward

Origin

From Middle English fromward, framward, from Old English framweard (“about to depart, departing, doomed to die; with his back turned”, adjective) and framweardes (“away from”, adverb), equivalent to from + -ward. Compare froward.

frond

Latin

Borrowed from Latin frons, frond- ("leafy branch").

front

Latin

From Old French front, from Latin frōns, frontem ("forehead, front").

front end

English

A compound of front and end, describing the part of a system nearest the user.

frontal

New Latin

From New Latin frontālis, based on Latin frons ("forehead, front").

frontier

Latin

From Old French frontiere, based on Latin frons ("front").

frontiersman

Origin

From frontiers + man.

frontline

Origin

From "front" plus "line".

frontside

Origin

From front + side.

frood

Origin

From Middle English *frood, *frode, *frod, from Old English frōd (“wise, prudent; experienced, old”), from Proto-Germanic *frōdaz (“wise, clever”), from Proto-Indo-European *pret- (“to understand”). Cognate with North Frisian frod, Saterland Frisian frod, Dutch vroed (“wise, knowing”), Swedish frod (“wise, experienced, mature”), Icelandic fróður (“knowledgeable”), Lithuanian prõtas (“mind, reason, understanding”).

frosh

Origin

Blend of freshman + sophomore.

frost

Old English

From Old English forst, going back to a Proto-Germanic word related to "freeze".

frostbite

Origin

From "frost" plus "bite" — the cold effectively "bites" exposed skin.

frosting

Origin

From "frost" plus "-ing" — the coating resembles a layer of frost.

frosty

Old English

From Old English forstiġ, "covered in frost" — built from frost plus the adjective ending -y.

froth

Old English

From Old Norse froða, meaning "foam" — the same root gave Old English āfrēoþan, "to foam."

frothy

Origin

Formed from froth plus the adjective ending -y.

frow

Origin

From Middle Dutch vrouwe (“lady”), from Old Dutch *frōwa, from Proto-West Germanic *frauwjā, from Proto-Germanic *frawjǭ (“lady, mistress”), from Proto-Indo-European *prōw- (“right; judge, master”). Cognate with Dutch vrouw (“woman, wife, lady, mistress”), Low German frouw, frauw (“woman, wife, lady”), German Frau (“woman, wife, lady”), Swedish fru, Icelandic freyja (“lady, mistress”, in compounds), Old English frōwe (“woman”), Old English frēa (“lord, master, husband”). Doublet of frau, vrou, and vrouw.

froward

Origin

From Middle English froward, fraward, equivalent to fro + -ward. Compare Old English fromweard, framweard (“turned away, having the back turned”).

frown

Middle English

From Middle English frounen, "to frown," originally describing a threatening or lowering appearance, as of storm clouds.

frozen

Old English

The past participle of freeze, from Old English frēosan.

fructose

Latin

Coined from Latin fructus, "fruit," plus the chemical suffix -ose used for sugars (as in sucrose, glucose).

frugal

Latin

From Latin frugalis, "thrifty, virtuous," via Middle French.

frugality

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French frugalité. By surface analysis, frugal + -ity.

frugivore

Origin

From French frugivore, from Latin frūgi- + French -vore.