freien

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʁaɪ̯ən/, ,

Originally restricted to Low and Central German; generalized by Luther. Borrowed from Middle Low German vrien and Middle High German vrīen, frīen, vrijen, vrigen, from Old High German *frīon; compare Old Saxon friohon. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *frijōną. Cognate to Dutch vrijen.

freien (weak, third-person singular present freit, past tense freite, past participle gefreit, auxiliary haben)

1. (archaic or poetic) to marry or marry off
   • 1799, Friedrich Schiller, Die Bürgschaft:

     Ich flehe dich um drey Tage Zeit, / Bis ich die Schwester dem Gatten gefreit, / Ich lasse den Freund dir als Bürgen, / Ihn magst du, entrinn ich, erwürgen.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (archaic or poetic) to court, to woo, to make advances
3. (obsolete or highly poetic) Synonym of befreien

• Only the derivative Freier remains current, but usually restricted to the initiation of sex work.

• Freier
• Freite

freien

1. inflection of frei:
   1. strong genitive masculine/neuter singular
   2. weak/mixed genitive/dative all-gender singular
   3. strong/weak/mixed accusative masculine singular
   4. strong dative plural
   5. weak/mixed all-case plural

• “freien” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “freien” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “freien” in Duden online
• “freien” in OpenThesaurus.de

From Middle High German frīen, from Old High German *frīon, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *frijōn. Cognate with German freien, Dutch vrijen.

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʀai̯en/,
• Rhymes: -ɑɪən

freien (third-person singular present freit, past participle gefrien, auxiliary verb hunn)

1. (transitive or intransitive) to court (romantically)

• Freier
• Freierei
• Freiesch