Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
frain. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
frain, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
frain in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
frain you have here. The definition of the word
frain will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
frain, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English fraynen, freinen (“to ask”), from Old English freġnan, friġnan (“to ask, inquire, learn”), from Proto-West Germanic *fregnan, from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną (“to ask”), from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask, woo”).
Cognates:
Cognate with
Icelandic fregna (“to ask, inquire”),
Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌽 (fraihnan,
“to ask”). Related also to
Dutch vragen (“to ask”),
German fragen (“to ask”),
Norwegian frega (“to ask”),
Latin precor (“ask, beseech”),
Sanskrit पृच्छति (pṛccháti,
“to ask”),
Lithuanian prašyti (“to request”),
Polish prosić (“to request”).
Verb
frain (third-person singular simple present frains, present participle fraining, simple past and past participle frained)
- (transitive, dialectal or obsolete) To ask, inquire.
1522, John Skelton, Why come ye nat to Courte:Ones yet agayne Of you I wolde frayne, Why come ye nat to court ?
- 1555, Henry Parker, The Exposition and Declaration of the Psalme Deus ultionum dominus, XXVIII.:
- Theyr myndes disdayne: Gods actes to frain
- c. 1574, William Strothers (clerk), Deposition of Thomas Hunter, in "The Will of Humphrey Hopper", in Depositions and Other Ecclesiastical Proceedings from the Courts of Durham: Extending from 1311 to the Reign of Elizabeth:
- And so answerd ever when so the said Umphra frayned the said Thomas; and otherwaies this examinate never hard the said Thomas speak anything of himself to any bodye, duringe the spaic of an hower or more, that this examinate was with the said Thomas.
1592, William Warner, Albion's England. Book VII:I, musing, frain'd her meaning: she / Her meaning thus did tell.
1803, William Stuart Rose, transl., Amadis de Gaula, A Poem in Three Books, page 160:Nor far had spurr'd the warrior, ere a crew Of hinds and sun-burnt woodmen met his view, Frayn'd by the knight, they told, a beauteous maid, Who, loudly shrieking, call'd on heav'n for aid, [...]
- 1807, Samuel Henshall, translating "The Durham Book" (c. 900); The Gothic Gospel of Saint Matthew:
- But Jesus stood before the count; yea the count frayned him, quothing, thou is king of the Jews? but Jesus quoth to him, thou quoths.
Derived terms
Anagrams
Middle English
Verb
frain
- Alternative form of fraynen
Old French
Etymology
From Latin frenum.
Noun
frain oblique singular, m (oblique plural frainz, nominative singular frainz, nominative plural frain)
- bit (equipment placed in a horse's mouth)
Descendants
Scots
Etymology
From Middle English fraynen, frainen, freinen, from Old English freġnan (“to ask”) and Old Norse fregna (“to ask”), from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną.
Verb
frain (third-person singular simple present frains, present participle frainin, simple past fraint, past participle fraint)
- (transitive) to ask, ask about, ask for
- to enquire
- (intransitive) to make inquiry
- to request
Welsh
Pronunciation
Noun
frain
- Soft mutation of brain.
Mutation