Etymograph

English

french

French comes from Old English Frencisc ‘Frankish’, from Franca ‘a Frank’, from Proto-Germanic *frankô ‘spear’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*frankô‘spear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*Frankō‘a Frank’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150Franca‘a Frank’
  4. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150Frencisc‘of the Franks, Frankish, French’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500French
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1988same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*frankô‘spear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*Frankō‘a Frank’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150Franca‘a Frank’
  4. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150Frencisc‘of the Franks, Frankish, French’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500French
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1988same form

Earliest quotation: 1988, Wanda Coleman, A War of Eyes and other stories: “Tom frenched her full in the mouth.”

Linked words

through Proto-West Germanic *Frankō ‘a Frank’

frank

Today it means

verb To prepare food by cutting it into strips.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *frankô / french

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