English
frou-frou
Frou-frou comes from French frou-frou ‘a frou-frou’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfrou-frou‘a frou-frou’
- Englishearliest quotation 1870same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfrou-frou‘a frou-frou’
- Englishearliest quotation 1870same form
Earliest quotation: 1870, Athenaeum: “The modern frou-frou of satin and gros-de-Naples skirts is…”
Every English word from French frou-frou
Today it means
noun A rustling sound, particularly the rustling of a large silk dress.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French frou-frou / frou-frou