Etymograph

English

fret

Fret comes from Middle English frēten ‘to eat (at), corrode, destroy, annoy’, from Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘for-, prefix meaning ‘completely, fully’’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-‘to eat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-‘forward, toward’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fra-‘for-, prefix meaning ‘completely, fully’’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fraetaną‘to consume, devour, eat up’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fraetan‘to devour, eat up, consume’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150fretan‘to eat up, devour’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frēten‘to eat (at), corrode, destroy, annoy’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1593fret

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-‘to eat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-‘forward, toward’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fra-‘for-, prefix meaning ‘completely, fully’’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fraetaną‘to consume, devour, eat up’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fraetan‘to devour, eat up, consume’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150fretan‘to eat up, devour’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frēten‘to eat (at), corrode, destroy, annoy’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1593fret

Earliest quotation: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […]: “VVhen thrid of life is almoſt fret in twaine,…”

The story

The senses meaning “to chafe, rub” could also be due to sound-association with Anglo-Norman *freiter (modern dialectal French fretter), from Vulgar Latin *frictāre, frequentative of Latin fricāre, from fricō (‘to chafe, rub’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (‘to cut’); compare Old French froter (modern French frotter). The chief difficulty is the lack of evidence of the Old French word.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’

eat, anna, et, ana, obesity, edible, ent, phage, etch, anodyne, esca, 21 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘forward, toward’

from, approach, purchase, protrude, 7 more

through Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘for-, prefix meaning ‘completely, fully’’

freight, 3 more

Another origin of fret

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰreg-‘to break’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrangō‘to break, shatter’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fret‘charge’
  4. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400freté
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500frēten‘to decorate’
  6. Englishtodayfret

Another origin of fret

  1. Old Saxonc. 800–1200frāht
  2. Middle Low Germanc. 1200–1600vracht
  3. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500same formas vrecht‘payment for cargo’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fret‘charge’
  5. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400freter‘to fret’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500freten‘to bind’
  7. Englishtodayfret

The origin of the music senses are uncertain; they are possibly from frete or from fret (‘to chafe, rub’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Another origin of fret

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to brew, boil’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfretum‘channel, strait’
  3. Englishtodayfret

Today it means

verb Especially when describing animals: to consume, devour, or eat.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- / fret

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