A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

friar --- c.1290, from O.Fr. frere "brother, friar," originally the mendicant orders (Franciscans, Augustines, Dominicans, Carmelites), who reached England early 13c., from L. frater "brother."

fricassee --- 1568, from M.Fr. fricassée, fem. pp. of fricasser "mince and cook in sauce," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to M.Fr. frire "to fry" and casser, quasser "break, cut up."

friction --- 1563, from L. frictionem (nom. frictio) "a rubbing, rubbing down," from fricare "to rub." Sense of "resistance to motion" is from 1722; figurative sense of "disagreement, clash" first recorded 1761.

Friday --- O.E. frigedæg "Frigga's day," (see Frigg), Gmc. goddess of married love, a W.Gmc. translation of L. dies Veneris, "day of (the planet) Venus," which itself translated Gk. Aphrodites hemera. Cf. O.N. frijadagr, O.Fris. frigendei, M.Du. vridach, Du. vrijdag, Ger. Freitag "Friday," and the L.-derived cognates O.Fr. vendresdi, Fr. vendredi, Sp. viernes. In the Gmc. pantheon, Freya (q.v.) corresponds more closely in character to Venus than Frigg does, and some early Icelandic writers used Freyjudagr for "Friday."

friend --- O.E. freond, prp. of freogan "to love, to favor," from P.Gmc. *frijojanan "to love" (cf. O.N. frændi, O.Fris. friund, M.H.G. friunt, Ger. Freund, Goth. frijonds "friend," all alike from prp. forms). Related to O.E. freo "free." Meaning "A Quaker" (a member of the Society of Friends) is from 1679. Feond ("fiend," originally "enemy") and freond, often paired in O.E., both are masculine agent nouns derived from prp. of verbs, but are not directly related to one another.

frieze --- sculptured horizontal band in architecture, 1563, from M.Fr. frise, originally "a ruff," from M.L. frisium "embroidered border," variant of frigium, probably from L. Phrygium "Phrygian, Phrygian work," from Phrygia, the ancient country in Asia Minor known for its embroidery. Folk etymology is Fr. drap de Frise "cloth of Friesland." Meaning "decorative band along the top of a wall" was in O.Fr.

frig --- to move about restlessly, c.1460, perhaps a variant of frisk (q.v.). As a euphemism for "to fuck" or "to masturbate" it dates from 1598.

frigate --- 1585, from M.Fr. frégate, from It. fregata, like many ship names, of unknown origin. Originally a small, swift vessel, the word was applied to progressively larger types over the years, but since 1943 used mainly of escort ships.

Frigg --- O.E., only in frigedæg "Friday." In Gmc. religion, wife of Odin, goddess of heaven and married love, from O.N., lit. noun use of the fem. adj. meaning "beloved, loving, wife," from P.Gmc. *frijaz "noble, dear, beloved" (from the root of O.E. freogan "to love;" ult. from the root of free (adj.)). Also cf. Freya.

fright (n.) --- O.E. (Northumbrian) fryhto, metathesis of fyrhtu "fear, dread," from P.Gmc. *furkhtaz "afraid" (cf. O.S. forhta, O.Fris. fruchte, O.H.G. forhta, Ger. Furcht, Goth. faurhtei "fear"). Not etymologically related to the word fear, which superseded it 13c. as the principal word except in cases of sudden terror. For spelling evolution, see fight. Frightful (c.1250) originally meant "timid," and like most -ful adjectives originally had an active and passive sense; the meaning "horrible, shocking" is from 1700; Johnson noted it as "a cant word among women for anything unpleasing."

frigid --- c.1420 (implied in frigidity), from L. frigidus "cold, chill, cool," from stem of frigere "be cold;" related to frigus "cold, coldness, frost." The meaning "wanting in sexual heat" is attested from 1660. Frigidaire as the proprietary name of a brand of refrigerators dates from 1926.

frill --- wavy ornamental edging, 1591, of uncertain origin despite much speculation; figurative sense of "useless ornament" first recorded 1893. The verb meaning "to furnish with a frill" is recorded in 1574.

fringe --- 1354, from O.Fr. frenge (1316), from V.L. *frimbia, metathesis of L. fimbriæ (pl.) "fibers, threads, fringe," of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of "outer edge, margin," is first recorded 1894.

frippery --- 1568, "old clothes, cast-off garments," from M.Fr. friperie "old clothes, an old clothes shop," from O.Fr. freperie, from frepe "rag," from L.L. faluppa "chip, splinter, straw, fiber." The notion is of "things worn down, clothes rubbed to rags." The ironic meaning "finery" (but with overtones of tawdriness) dates from 1637.

Frisbee --- 1957, trademark registered 1959 by Wham-O Co., the prototype modeled on pie tins from Mrs. Frisbie's Pies, made by the Frisbie Bakery of Bridgeport, Ct., U.S. Middlebury College students began tossing them around in the 1930s (though Yale and Princeton also claim to have discovered their aerodynamic qualities). The family name is attested in English records from 1226, from a place name in Leicestershire (Frisby on the Wreak), attested from 1086, from O.Dan., meaning "farmstead or village of the Frisians." "Thirteen years ago the Wham-O Manufacturing Company of San Gabriel, Calif., ... brought out the first Frisbee. Wham-O purchased the rights from a Los Angeles building inspector named Fred Morrison, who in turn had been inspired by the airworthy pie tins of the Frisbie Bakery in Bridgeport, Conn. (which went out of business in March of 1958). He changed the spelling to avoid legal problems." ["Sports Illustrated," Aug. 3, 1970]

Frisian --- belonging to the tribe of the Frisii, 1598, from L. Frisii, from a Gmc. tribal name (cf. O.Fris. Frise, M.Du. Vriese, O.H.G. Friaso, O.E. Frisa), perhaps originally meaning "curly-headed" (cf. O.Fris. frisle "curly hair").

frisk --- 1519, "to dance, frolic," from M.Fr. frisque "lively, brisk," possibly from a Gmc. source (cf. M.Du. vrisch "fresh"). Sense of "pat down in a search" first recorded 1781. Frisky first recorded 1500.

fritillary --- type of butterfly, 1857, earlier a type of plant (Fritillaria Meleagris, 1633), from L. fritillus "dice-box," from fritinnire "to twitter," imitative of the rattle of dice. The butterfly so called perhaps from resemblance of its markings to those of dice; though the names may have been given in confusion, perhaps on the notion that fritillus meant "chessboard."

fritter (n.) --- fried batter, 1381, from O.Fr. friture "something fried," from L.L. frictura "a frying."

fritter (v.) --- whittle away, 1728, from fritters "fragment or shred," possibly alteration of 16c. fitters "fragments or pieces," perhaps ultimately from O.Fr. fraiture "a breaking," from L. fractura.

fritz --- in on the fritz "inoperative," 1903, Amer.Eng. slang, of unknown origin. Earliest references suggest a theatrical origin.

frivolous --- 1549, from L. frivolus "silly, empty, trifling, brittle," dim. of *frivos "broken, crumbled," from friare "break, rub away, crumble."

frizz (v.) --- 1620, probably from Fr. friser "to curl," perhaps from stem of frire "to fry, cook." Assimilated to native frizzle.

frizzle --- curl hair, 1565, perhaps related to O.E. fris "curly" and O.Fris. frisle.

fro --- away, backwards, c.1200, North Eng. and Scot. dial. fra, Midlands dial. fro, from O.N. fra "from" (see from).

frock --- 1350, from O.Fr. froc "a monk's habit" (12c.), perhaps from Frank. *hroc (cf. O.H.G. hroc "mantle, coat;" O.N. rokkr, O.E. rocc, O.Fris. rokk, Ger. Rock "coat"), from PIE base *rug- "to spin." Another theory traces it to M.L. floccus, from L. floccus "flock of wool." Non-religious use is 1538.

frog --- O.E. frogga, a dim. of frox, forsc, frosc "frog," from P.Gmc. *fruska-z (cf. O.N. froskr, M.Du. vorsc, Ger. Frosch "frog"), probably lit. "hopper" (cf. Skt. provate "hops," Rus. prygat "to hop, jump"). The L. word (rana) is imitative of croaking. As a derogatory term for "Frenchman," 1778 (short for frog-eater), but before that (1652) it meant "Dutch" (from frog-land "marshy land"). To have a frog in the throat "hoarseness" is from 1909. Frogman "scuba diver in rubber suit" is from 1945. Frog-march (1871) originated among London police and referred to their method of moving "a drunken or refractory prisoner" by carrying him face-down between four people, each holding a limb; the connection with frog perhaps being the notion of going along belly-down. By the 1930s, the verb was used in ref. to the much more efficient (but less frog-like) method of getting someone in an arm-behind-the-back hold and hustling him or her along like that.

frolic --- 1538, as an adj., from M.Du. vrolyc (adj.) "happy," from vro- "merry, glad," + lyc "like." Cognate of Ger. fröhlich "happy." The verb is first attested 1583.

from --- O.E. fram, originally "forward movement, advancement," evolving into sense of "movement away," from P.Gmc. *fr- (cf. Goth. fram "from, away," O.N. fra "from," fram "forward"), corresponding to PIE *pr- (see pro).

frond --- 1785, from L. frons (gen. frondis) "leaf, leafy branch, foliage." Adopted by Linnæus in a sense distinct from folium.

Fronde --- 1798, from Fr., lit. "sling," from L. funda "casting net," of unknown origin. Name given to the party which rose against Mazarin and the court during the minority of Louis XIV. Hence, sometimes used figuratively for "violent political opposition."

front --- c.1290, from O.Fr. front "forehead, brow," from L. frontem (nom. frons) "forehead," perhaps lit. "that which projects," from PIE *bhront-, from base *bhren- "to project, stand out." Sense of "foremost part of anything" developed in L. The military sense of "foremost part of an army" (c.1350) led to the meaning "field of operations in contact with the enemy" (1665). Home front is from 1919. Sense of "public facade" is from 1891; that of "something serving as a cover for illegal activities" is from 1905. The verb is from 1523. Meteorological sense first recorded 1921. Frontal is 1656, of the forehead; 1971 with reference to the naked body. Front-runner is 1914, a metaphor from racing. Front yard first attested 1767.

frontier --- c.1400, from O.Fr. fronter, from front "brow" (see front). Originally the front line of an army, sense of "borderland" is first attested 1413. In reference to N.Amer., from 1676; later with a specific sense: "What is the frontier? ... In the census reports it is treated as the margin of that settlement which has a density of two or more to the square mile." [F.J. Turner, "The Frontier in American History"] Frontiersman is from 1782.

frontispiece --- 1597, "decorated entrance of a building," from M.Fr. frontispice, probably from It. frontespizio and L.L. frontispicium "facade," originally "a view of the forehead, judgment of character through facial features," from L. frons (gen. frontis) "forehead" + specere "to look at" (see scope (1)). Sense of "illustration facing a book's title page" first recorded 1682.

frost --- O.E. forst, frost "a freezing, becoming frozen, extreme cold," from P.Gmc. *frusta- (cf. O.H.G. frost, Du. vorst), related to freosan "to freeze." Frost-bitten first recorded 1593. Frosting in the sense of "cake icing" is from 1858.

froth --- c.1300, from O.N. froða, from Gmc. *freuth-. O.E. had afreoðan "to froth," from the same root.

frou-frou --- 1870, "a rustling," from Fr., possibly imitative of the rustling of a dress.

froward --- O.E. fromweard "turned from or away," from from + -weard. Opposite of toward, it renders L. pervertus in early translations of the Psalms, and also meant "about to depart, departing," and "doomed to die."

frown (v.) --- c.1395, from O.Fr. froignier "to frown or scowl, snort," related to frongne "scowling look," probably from Gaulish *frogna "nostril" (cf. Welsh ffroen "nose"), with a sense of "snort," or perhaps "haughty grimace." The noun is from 1581.

frowzy --- 1681, possibly related to dial. frowsty "smelly," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to O.E. þroh "rancid."

fructify --- c.1325, from O.Fr. fructifier, from L.L. fructificare "bear fruit," from L. fructus (see fruit) + root of facere "make" (see factitious).

fructose --- sugar found in fruit, 1864, coined in Eng. from L. fructus (see fruit) + chemical suffix -ose.

frug --- 1964, disco dance derived from the Twist, of unknown origin.

frugal --- 1598, from M.Fr. frugal, from L. frugalis, from undeclined adj. frugi "economical, useful, proper," originally dat. of frux (pl. fruges) "fruit, profit, value," related to fructus (see fruit). Sense evolved in L. from "useful" to "profitable" to "economical."

fruit --- c.1175, from O.Fr. fruit, from L. fructus "fruit, produce, profit," from frug-, stem of frui "to use, enjoy" (cognate with O.E. brucan "to enjoy," see brook (v.)). Older sense preserved in fruits of one's labor. Originally in Eng. meaning vegetables as well. Modern narrower sense is from c.1225. Meaning "odd person, eccentric" is from 1910; that of "male homosexual" is from 1935. Fruitcake is from 1854 in the literal sense; slang meaning "lunatic" is first attested 1952. Fruitless "ineffectual" is from 1340.

fruition --- 1413, "act of enjoying," from L.L. fruitionem (nom. fruitio) "enjoyment," noun of action from L. frui "to use, enjoy." Sense of "act or state of bearing fruit" is first recorded 1885 by mistaken association with fruit.

frumbierding --- an excellent O.E. word meaning "a youth;" from fruma "first" + beard.

frumious --- 1871, coined by Lewis Carroll, who said it was a blend of fuming and furious. He used it in both "Jabberwocky" and "The Hunting of the Snark" (1876).

frumpy --- 1746, "cross-tempered," from frump (n.) "bad temper" (1668) and an earlier v. meaning "to mock, browbeat" (1553), of obscure origin, perhaps imitative of a sneer or derisive snort. Sense of "sour-looking, unfashionable" is from 1825, but this may be a shortening of frumple "to wrinkle, crumple" (1398), from M.Du. verrompelen, from ver- "completely" + rompelen "to rumple." Frump "shabby, unstylish woman" is from 1817.

frustrate --- 1447, from L. frustratus, pp. of frustrari "to deceive, disappoint, frustrate," from frustra (adv.) "in vain, in error," related to fraus "injury, harm."

fry (n.) --- young fish, 1293, from Anglo-Fr. frei, from O.Fr. frai "spawn," from froier "to rub, spawn (by rubbing abdomen on sand)." First applied to human offspring 14c. in Scot., though OED traces this usage to O.N. frjo, fræ "seed, offspring."

fry (v.) --- c.1290, from O.Fr. frire, from L. frigere "to roast or fry," from PIE *bhreu- (cf. Skt. bhrjjati "roasts, bharjanah "roasting;" Pers. birishtan "to roast;" Gk. phrygein "to roast, bake"). Meaning "execute in the electric chair" is U.S. slang from 1929. To go out of the frying pan into the fire is first attested in Thomas More (1532).

fuchsia --- red color, 1923, from the plant, which was named 1753 from the Latinized name of Ger. botanist Leonhard Fuchs (1501-66). Not related to L. fucus "seaweed, sea wrack, tangle," also the name of a red color prepared from it.

fuck --- a difficult word to trace, in part because it was taboo to the editors of the original OED when the "F" volume was compiled, 1893-97. Written form only attested from early 16c. OED 2nd edition cites 1503, in the form fukkit; earliest appearance of current spelling is 1535 -- "Bischops ... may fuck thair fill and be vnmaryit" [Sir David Lyndesay, "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaits"], but presumably it is a much more ancient word than that, simply one that wasn't likely to be written in the kind of texts that have survived from O.E. and M.E. Buck cites proper name John le Fucker from 1278. The word apparently is hinted at in a scurrilous 15c. poem, titled "Flen flyys," written in bastard L. and M.E. The relevant line reads: Non sunt in celi quia fuccant uuiuys of heli They [the monks] are not in heaven because they fuck the wives of Ely. Fuccant is pseudo-L., and in the original it is written in cipher. The earliest examples of the word otherwise are from Scottish, which suggests a Scandinavian origin, perhaps from a word akin to Norw. dial. fukka "copulate," or Swedish dial. focka "copulate, strike, push," and fock "penis." Another theory traces it to M.E. fkye, fike "move restlessly, fidget," which also meant "dally, flirt," and probably is from a general North Sea Gmc. word, cf. M.Du. fokken, Ger. ficken "fuck," earlier "make quick movements to and fro, flick," still earlier "itch, scratch;" the vulgar sense attested from 16c. This would parallel in sense the usual M.E. slang term for "have sexual intercourse," swive, from O.E. swifan "to move lightly over, sweep" (see swivel). Chronology and phonology rule out Shipley's attempt to derive it from M.E. firk "to press hard, beat." As a noun, it dates from 1680. French foutre and Italian fottere look like the Eng. word but are unrelated, derived rather from L. futuere, which is perhaps from PIE base *bhau(t)- "knock, strike off," extended via a figurative use "from the sexual application of violent action" [Shipley; cf. the sexual slang use of bang, etc.]. Popular and Internet derivations from acronyms (and the "pluck yew" fable) are merely ingenious trifling. The O.E. word was hæman, from ham "dwelling, home," with a sense of "take home, co-habit." Fuck was outlawed in print in England (by the Obscene Publications Act, 1857) and the U.S. (by the Comstock Act, 1873). The word may have been shunned in print, but it continued in conversation, especially among soldiers during WWI. "It became so common that an effective way for the soldier to express this emotion was to omit this word. Thus if a sergeant said, 'Get your ----ing rifles!' it was understood as a matter of routine. But if he said 'Get your rifles!' there was an immediate implication of urgency and danger." [John Brophy, "Songs and Slang of the British Soldier: 1914-1918," pub. 1930] The legal barriers broke down in the 20th century, with the "Ulysses" decision (U.S., 1933) and "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (U.S., 1959; U.K., 1960). Johnson excluded the word, and fuck wasn't in a single English language dictionary from 1795 to 1965. "The Penguin Dictionary" broke the taboo in the latter year. Houghton Mifflin followed, in 1969, with "The American Heritage Dictionary," but it also published a "Clean Green" edition without the word, to assure itself access to the lucrative public high school market. The abbreviation F (or eff) probably began as euphemistic, but by 1943 it was being used as a cuss word, too. In 1948, the publishers of "The Naked and the Dead" persuaded Norman Mailer to use the euphemism fug instead. When Mailer later was introduced to Dorothy Parker, she greeted him with, "So you're the man who can't spell 'fuck' " [The quip sometimes is attributed to Tallulah Bankhead]. Hemingway used muck in "For whom the Bell Tolls" (1940). The major breakthrough in publication was James Jones' "From Here to Eternity" (1950), with 50 fucks (down from 258 in the original manuscript). Egyptian legal agreements from the 23rd Dynasty (749-21 B.C.E.) frequently include the phrase, "If you do not obey this decree, may a donkey copulate with you!" [Reinhold Aman, "Maledicta," Summer 1977]. Intensive form mother-fucker suggested from 1928; motherfucking is from 1933. Fuck-all "nothing" first recorded 1960. Verbal phrase fuck up "to ruin, spoil, destroy" first attested c.1916. A widespread group of Slavic words (cf. Pol. pierdolic) can mean both "fornicate" and "make a mistake." Flying fuck originally meant "have sex on horseback" and is first attested c.1800 in broadside ballad "New Feats of Horsemanship." For the unkillable urban legend that this word is an acronym of some sort (a fiction traceable on the Internet to 1995 but probably predating that) see here, and also here.

fuddle --- 1588, originally "to get drunk," later "to confuse as though with drink" (c.1600), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Low Ger. fuddeln "work in a slovenly manner (as if drunk)," from fuddle "worthless cloth." The more common derivative befuddle appeared 1887.

fuddy-duddy --- old-fashioned person, 1904, Amer.Eng., of uncertain origin.

fudge (n.) --- 1896, Amer.Eng., perhaps a special use of fudge (v.). Interjection is 1766 (Oh, fudge), and the n. meaning "nonsense" is 1791.

fudge (v.) --- 1674, alteration of M.E. fadge "make suit, fit," of unknown origin. The traditional story (attested from 1791) traces fudge in this sense to a Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies." It seems there really was a late 17c. Captain Fudge, called "Lying Fudge," and perhaps his name influenced the form of fadge in the sense of "contrive without the necessary materials."

fuel (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. feuaile "bundle of firewood," from M.L. legal term *focalia "right to demand material for making fire," neut. pl. of L. focus "hearth."

fugitive --- 1382, from O.Fr. fugitif, from L. fugitivus "fleeing" (but commonly used as a noun meaning "runaway"), from stem of fugere "run away, flee," from PIE base *bheug- "to flee" (cf. Gk. pheugein "to flee," Lith. bugstu "be frightened"). Replaced O.E. flyma. From 17c.-19c. Eng. had the useful adj. fugacious "likely to flee."

fugue --- 1597, from It. fuga, lit. "flight," from L. fuga "act of fleeing," from fugere "to flee" (see fugitive). Current spelling is from influence of Fr. version of the It. word. Defined in Elson's Music Dictionary as "a composition in strict style, in which one subject is proposed by one part and answered by other parts, according to certain rules."

Führer --- 1934, from Führer und Reichskanzler, title assumed by Hitler in 1934 as head of German state, from Ger. Führer "leader," from führen "to lead," from M.H.G. vüeren "to lead, drive," from O.H.G. fuoren "to set in motion, lead," causative of O.H.G. faran "to go, travel," which is cognate with O.E. faran (see fare (v.)). Hitler's title was modeled on Mussolini's Duce.

Fulbright --- in ref. to U.S. Sen. William Fulbright of Arkansas, esp. to the Fulbright Act of 1946, which authorized proceeds from sales of U.S. war surplus materials to be used to fund higher education overseas.

fulcrum --- 1674, "a prop, a support," borrowing of L. fulcrum "bedpost," from fulcire "to prop up, support" (see balk).

fulfill --- O.E. fullfyllan "fill up, make full," from full + fyllan (see fill, which is ultimately from the root of full). Used early of prophecy and perhaps a translation of L. implere, adimplere.

fulgent --- 1432, from L. fulgens (gen. fulgentis), prp. of fulgere "to shine," related to fulgur "lightning," flagrare "to blaze, glow, burn" (see phlegm).

full (adj.) --- O.E. full "completely, full," from P.Gmc. *fullaz (cf. O.Fris. ful, O.N. fullr, O.H.G. fol, Ger. voll, Goth. fulls), from PIE *ple- (see plenary). Adverbial sense was common in M.E. (full well, full many, etc.). Full moon was O.E. fulles monan; first record of full-blood in relation to racial purity is from 1812. Full house is 1710 in the theatrical sense, 1887 in the poker sense.

full (v.) --- to tread or beat cloth to cleanse or thicken it, 1377, from O.Fr. fuler (see foil (v.)); O.E. had the agent-noun fuller, probably directly from L. fullo. The material called fuller's earth (silicate of alumina) is first recorded 1523, so called because it was used in cleansing cloth.

fulminate --- c.1450, "publish a 'thundering' denunciation," from L. fulminatus, pp. of fulminare "hurl lightning, lighten," from fulmen (gen. fulminis) "lightning," related to fulgere "to shine, flash" (see phlegm). Metaphoric sense (the original sense in Eng.) is via its use in reference to a formal ecclesiastical censure.

fulsome --- M.E. compound of ful "full" + -som "some." Sense evolved from "abundant, full" (c.1250) to "plump, well-fed" (c.1350) to "overgrown, overfed" (1642) and thus, of language, "offensive to taste or good manners" (1663). Since the 1960s, however, it commonly has been used in its original, favorable sense, especially in fulsome praise.

fumble --- c.1450, "handle clumsily," possibly from O.N. falma "to fumble, grope." Similar words in Scand. and North Sea Gmc. suggest onomatopoeia from a sound felt to indicate clumsiness (cf. bumble, stumble, and obsolete Eng. famble, fimble of roughly the same meaning).