English
fress
Fress may come from German fressen ‘to eat, devour, gobble’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentfressen‘to eat, devour, gobble’uncertain
- Englishtodayfress
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentfressen‘to eat, devour, gobble’uncertain
- Englishtodayfress
A compound of *fra- ‘off, away’ + *etaną ‘to eat’
Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘before, in front of’
Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁édti ‘to eat’
Proto-Germanic *etaną ‘to eat’
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *fraetan ‘to devour, eat up, consume’
Today it means
verb to eat without restraint; eat heartily
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German fressen / fress