Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/118

Fra (frêhum) and the  fraíhans are formed. The corresponding has a derivative n,  fraíhnan,  frignan, frînan, beside which appears a form with the present in io-,  fricgan ( *frigjan). For another verbal derivative of the same root see under, which, like jërgôn, ‘to beg,’ has its r transposed. The following words also belong to the root frē̆h, ÀS. frëht, ‘oracle,’ frihtrian, ‘to predict,’ fricca, ‘herald.’ The root frē̆h is derived, according to the law of the substitution of consonants, from an Aryan root prē̆k, pṛk, which may have  combined the meanings ‘to ask, beg’ (rogare, interrogare). the allied forms —  root pṛch (for pṛç-sk), ‘to ask, long for; to desire, beg for something,’ praçná, ‘inquiry,’ Zend root pares, peres, ‘to ask, demand,’  prĕc- (  preces, ‘entreaties’), prscâri, ‘to beg,’ procax, ‘insolent,’ prŏcus, ‘wooer, suitor,’  prositi, ‘to demand, beg.’ ,, ‘free, independent,’ first occurs in , from franc (, , and  franco), which was again derived from the  tribal name ,  Franchun, and may have been applied generally to any freeman. The term is  a derivative of a lost  *francho, ‘javelin,’ preserved in  franca and  frakke; the Saxons  are similarly named after a weapon —  Sahsun, from sahs, ‘sword’ (see ).  ,, ‘fringe,’ from franze, , ‘fringe, ornament, fillet’; hence franzen, , ‘to fringe.’ From Romance;   frange,  frangia. “This  word corresponds exactly to the well-known  framea, in the same way as vendange to vindemia;  are pendant ‘darts’ or lace, just as the flap of a coat is a broad spear-head (see, ); the etymology is both grammatically and logically unobjectionable.” Though framea has certainly not been preserved within the entire  group in the sense of ‘javelin,’ or in any other sense, yet the Latinised framea long remained current in early. The derivation of the Romance words from fimbria, ‘fringe,’ is not free from phonetic difficulties.   ,, ‘devouring, gluttony, food, pasture,’ from vrâȥ, , ‘food, feeding’; akin to ;  frâȥ,  vrâȥ, , also ‘gormandiser.’   ,, ‘grimace, distortions, caricature,’ , only, whence  fratsen,  , ‘grimaces, distortions,’ is borrowed. The absence of the word in and  favours the supposition that it was borrowed, and we are compelled to accept that view, since it is impossible to trace the word to a satisfactory  source; the proposed derivation from  frœtwe, , ‘work of art, ornaments (carvings?),’ is phonetically impossible. The word might be finally derived from frasche,,  frasgues, ‘tricks, hoax.’   ,, ‘mistress, lady, wife, woman,’ from vrouwe,  frouwa, , ‘mistress, gentlewoman, lady, wife, woman’;  perhaps only a   form (‘wife of the master, mistress of the house’), of  frô, ‘master,’ which became obsolete in , just as in Romance dominus disappeared in many dialects while domina (in the forms donna, dame) was retained in the entire group;. See. Frouwa, in the form of frua, found its way into, and thence as frú into ; the word remained unknown to. The form was  ( *fraujô, ), and was used in  — changed according to phonetic laws into Freyja — as the name of a goddess. In the period frouwe was popularly connected by a graceful fancy with, fröuwen;. Freidank’s saw, “Durch vröude vrouwen sind genant, Ir vröude ervröuwet elliu lant, Wie wol er vröude kante, Der sie êrste vrouwen nante” — “Woman is named from the joy she gives, Her favours fill the world with bliss, What a deep sense of joy had he, Who first named it woman.” See and the following word.   ,, ‘young lady, damsel, miss,’ from vröuwelîn, ,  of  vrouwe, ‘woman’,  ‘noble maiden, young lady of noble birth, mistress, sweetheart,’ also ‘girl of mean rank, servant-girl.’   ,, ‘woman,’ from late vrouwenzimmer, , ‘women's apartment’; the connecting link in meaning is collective, ‘the body of women residing in its own apartments, the female inhabitants of the gynæceum,’ also ‘retinue of a lady of high rank,’ just as  (court) is used collectively of ‘the people at court.’ “The application of a collective term to an individual” is analogous to the use of 