fri

See also: Fri, frí, frî, and -fri

Languages (22)

Translingual

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Bislama • Breton • Danish • Esperanto • Irish • Kashubian • Middle Irish • North Frisian • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old Dutch • Old English • Old Frisian • Old High German • Old Irish • Old Saxon • Scots • Sranan Tongo • Swedish • Tarifit • Welsh

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Frisian, from Middle English Frisoun, from Old French frison, from Latin Frīsiī.

Symbol

fri

1. (international standards, obsolete) Former ISO 639-3 language code for Western Frisian.

Bislama

Etymology

From English free.

Adjective

fri

1. free; independent

Breton

Etymology

Cognate with Cornish frig (“nostril”); perhaps related to Proto-Celtic *srognā (compare Welsh ffroen (“nostril”), Old Irish srón (“nose”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfriː/

Noun

fri m (plural frioù)

1. (anatomy) nose

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /friː/, [fʁiːˀ]
• (Hardsysselsk) IPA^(key): [fʁitʃː]
• Rhymes: -i
• Rhymes: -iː

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German vrīen (“to marry”), from Old Saxon friohon.

Verb

fri (imperative fri, present frier or frir, past friede, past participle friet)

1. to propose (to ask for one's hand in marriage)

   Synonym: bejle

Conjugation

Conjugation of fri

active passive present frir or frier fris or fries past friede friedes infinitive fri fris or fries imperative fri — participle present friende past friet (auxiliary verb have) gerund frien

Derived terms

• frier (“suitor”)
• frieri (“proposal”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Low German vrī.

Adjective

fri (neuter frit, plural and definite singular attributive frie)

1. free
2. vacant, unoccupied
3. available

Declension

Inflection of fri

	positive	comparative	superlative
indefinite common singular	fri	friere	friest2
indefinite neuter singular	frit	friere	friest2
plural	frie	friere	friest2
definite attributive1	frie	friere	frieste

¹ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
² The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

• ufri (“constrained, inhibited, not free”)

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Middle Low German vrīen (“to free”), from the adjective vri (“free”).

Verb

fri (imperative fri, present frier or frir, past friede, past participle friet)

1. to free (to make free)

Conjugation

Conjugation of fri

active passive present frir or frier fris or fries past friede friedes infinitive fri fris or fries imperative fri — participle present friende past friet (auxiliary verb have) gerund frien

Derived terms

• udfri

References

• “fri” in Den Danske Ordbog

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fri/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: fri

Preposition

fri

1. (neologism) including the cost of

   mil eŭroj fri haveno

   a thousand euros including shipping costs

   cent dolaroj fri dogano

   one hundred dollars including customs duty

Usage notes

Unofficial and technical. In everyday language, this would be expressed with a more wordy phrase.

Irish

Preposition

fri (plus dative, triggers h-prothesis)

1. obsolete form of fré

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Low German frî. Compare German frei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfri/
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: fri

Adjective

fri (not comparable, indeclinable, no derived adverb)

1. free

Adverb

fri (not comparable)

1. freely
2. at someone's disposal

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1993) [1893], “fri”, in Jerzy Trepczyk, editor, Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), 3 edition

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish fri, from Proto-Celtic *writ- (compare Welsh wrth, prefix gwrth-), from the zero grade of Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”) (compare Latin versus (“against”)).

Preposition

fri (takes accusative)

1. towards, to
   • c. 1000, “The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig”, in Ernst Windisch, editor, Irische Texte, volume 1, published 1800, section 1:

     Ro·ferad failte friu uile, ocus ructha chuci-sium isin mbruidin.

     They were all made welcome and brought to him in the hall.

     (literally, “A welcome was provided to them all…”)

Inflection

• Third-person plural accusative: friu

Descendants

• Classical Gaelic: re
• Irish: re (“to, towards, against”)

  ⇒ Irish: le (conflated with la)

  ⇒ Irish: fa ré, fara, frae (“along with, beside”)

• Manx: rish
• Scottish Gaelic: ri

North Frisian

Alternative forms

• frei (Föhr-Amrum)
• frai (Heligoland)
• Frii (Sylt)

Etymology

From Old Frisian frī, from Proto-West Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“free”), from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“loved; pleased”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to love; to please”).

Adjective

fri

1. (Goesharde, Halligen, Karrharde, Mooring) free

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German vrī. Cognates include Danish fri, Swedish fri, German frei, Dutch vrij, English free, and Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɾiː/

Adjective

fri (neuter singular fritt, definite singular and plural frie, comparative friere, indefinite superlative friest, definite superlative frieste)

1. free, not imprisoned or enslaved

   en fri mann ― a free man

2. free, not blocked

   fri ferdsel ― free traffic

3. free, no payment necessary

   fri inngang ― free admission

Derived terms

• alkoholfri
• bilfri
• blyfri
• daddelfri
• fribord
• fridag
• frifinne
• frigi
• frigjøre
• frihavn
• friidrett
• frikjenne
• frikoble
• friluft
• frimerke
• friminutt
• frispark
• frita
• fritenker
• fritid
• frittgående
• frittstående
• gjestfri
• glutenfri
• isfri
• luktfri
• på frifot
• rentefri
• risikofri
• skyfri
• smertefri
• snøfri
• sukkerfri
• tollfri
• valgfri
• vannfri
• vedlikeholdsfri

References

• “fri” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /friː/

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German vrī. Akin to English free.

Adjective

fri (neuter singular fritt, definite singular and plural frie, comparative friare, indefinite superlative friast, definite superlative friaste)

1. free, not imprisoned or enslaved

   ein fri mann ― a free man

2. free, not blocked

   fri ferdsel ― free traffic

3. free, no payment necessary

   fri inngang ― free admission

Derived terms

• alkoholfri
• bilfri
• fribord
• fridag
• frifinne
• friidrett
• friluft
• frimerke
• friminutt
• frispark
• frita
• fritid
• gjestfri
• glutenfri
• isfri
• luktfri
• på frifot
• rentefri
• risikofri
• skyfri
• smertefri
• snøfri
• sukkerfri
• tollfri

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German vrien and Old Norse frjá (“to love”).

Alternative forms

• fria, frie

Verb

fri (present tense frir, past tense fridde, past participle fritt/fridd, passive infinitive friast, present participle friande, imperative fri)

1. to propose (marriage)

Derived terms

• friar
• frieri
• frieri

Etymology 3

From Old Norse fría, from fri (Etymology 1).

Alternative forms

• fria, frie

Verb

fri (present tense frir, past tense fridde, past participle fritt/fridd, passive infinitive friast, present participle friande, imperative fri)

1. to free

Anagrams

• fir

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *frī.

Adjective

frī

1. free, unbound

Declension

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: vri
  • Dutch: vrij
    • Afrikaans: vry
    • Negerhollands: vri, vrie, fri
    • → Aukan: felei
    • → Caribbean Javanese: frèi, prèi, pré
    • → Indonesian: prei (“holiday, free, doing nothing”)
    • → Javanese: ꦥꦿꦺꦲꦶ (prèi)
    • → Manado Malay: frei
    • → Peranakan Indonesian: vry
    • → Sundanese: peré

Further reading

• “frī”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /friː/
• Rhymes: -ī

Adjective

frī

1. alternative form of frēo

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *frī.

Adjective

frī

1. free

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: frei

  Goesharde, Halligen, Karrharde, Mooring: fri

  Heligoland: frai

  Sylt: Frii

• Saterland Frisian: fräi
• West Frisian: frij

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *frī.

Adjective

frī

1. free

Derived terms

• frīginōz

Descendants

• Middle High German: vrī
  • German: frei
  • Luxembourgish: fräi
  • Vilamovian: frȧj
  • Yiddish: פֿרײַ (fray)

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *writ- (compare Welsh wrth, prefix gwrth-), from the zero grade of Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”) (compare Latin versus (“against”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɸʲɾʲi/

Preposition

fri (takes accusative)

1. towards, to
2. against
3. with
4. (governing a verbal noun) about to
5. from (with scaraid (“to separate”) and its compounds and synonyms)
6. with respect to, with regard to, in regard to

For quotations using this term, see Citations:fri.

Inflection

Inflection of fri

	Person:		normal	emphatic
singular	first		frimm, frium(m)	fri(u)msa
	second		frit(t), friut(t)	fritso, fritsu
	third m or n	dative
		accusative	fris(s)	frissom, frissium
	third f	dative
		accusative	frie
plural	first		frinn	frinn(a)i
	second		frib	fribsi
	third	dative
		accusative	friu	friusom

Forms combined with the definite article:

• fris(s)in (m sg or f sg accusative)
• fris(s)a (n sg accusative)
• frisna (pl accusative)

Forms combined with the relative particle:

• fris(s)a

Forms combined with a possessive determiner:

• frim (first-person singular)
• frit (second-person singular)
• fria (third-person singular/plural)

Descendants

• Middle Irish: fri
  • Classical Gaelic: re
  • Irish: re (“to, towards, against”)

    ⇒ Irish: le (conflated with la)

    ⇒ Irish: fa ré, fara, frae (“along with, beside”)

  • Manx: rish
  • Scottish Gaelic: ri

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fri”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, §§ 433, 839, pages 272–73, 514–15; reprinted 2017

Old Saxon

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *frī.

Adjective

frī (comparative frīoro, superlative frīost)

1. free

Declension

Declension of fri

Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	frī	frī	frī	frīe	frīu	frīe
accusative	frīana	frī	frīa	frīe	frīu	frīe
genitive	frīes	frīes	frīaro	frīarō	frīarō	frīarō
dative	frīumu	frīumu	frīaro	frīum	frīum	frīum
Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	frīo	frīa	frīa	frīu
accusative	frīun	frīa	frīun	frīun
genitive	frīun	frīun	frīun	frīonō
dative	frīun	frīun	frīun	frīum

Comparative forms of fri (weak only)

	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	frīoro	frīora	frīora	frīoru
accusative	frīorun	frīora	frīorun	frīorun
genitive	frīorun	frīorun	frīorun	frīoronō
dative	frīorun	frīorun	frīorun	frīorum

Superlative forms of fri

Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	frīost	frīost	frīost	frīoste	frīoste	frīostu
accusative	frīostana	frīost	frīosta	frīoste	frīoste	frīostu
genitive	frīostes	frīostes	frīostaro	frīostarō	frīostarō	frīostarō
dative	frīostumu	frīostumu	frīostaro	frīostum	frīostum	frīostum
Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	frīosto	frīosta	frīosta	frīostu
accusative	frīostun	frīosta	frīostun	frīostun
genitive	frīostun	frīostun	frīostun	frīostonō
dative	frīostun	frīostun	frīostun	frīostum

Descendants

• Middle Low German: vri, vrîg
  • Low German: fri, free, frigg
  • → Danish: fri
  • → Estonian: prii
  • → Faroese: fríur
  • → Latvian: brīvs
  • → Livonian: brī
  • → Norwegian: fri
  • → Swedish: fri

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *frijō.

Noun

frī f

1. woman

References

• Joseph Wright, An Old English Grammar (Oxford 1908)

Scots

Etymology

From Old English fram.

Preposition

fri

1. (Southern Scots) from

See also

• frae
• thrae
• thri

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English free.

Adjective

fri

1. free

Verb

fri

1. to set free

Noun

fri

1. freedom
   • 1961, Michaël Slory, ““Sarka – Gi Yomo Kenyata (Kenya)” [Bitter struggle – For Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya)]”, in Sarka / Bittere strijd‎^[2], Amsterdam: Pegasus:

     Fri yu no kan skrifi na / ini den nangra fu den opete.

     Freedom cannot be written / in the clutches of vultures.

Swedish

Etymology

From Middle Low German vri, from Old Saxon frī, from Proto-West Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /friː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː

Adjective

fri

1. free (unconstrained)
2. free (not imprisoned)
3. free (without obligations)

   Du är fri att göra som du vill.

   You are free to do as you please.

4. free (obtainable without payment)

   Synonym: gratis

5. free (without)
   • 2000, 1973 års bibelkommission [The Swedish Bible Commission of 1973], “Johannesevangeliet [John] 8:7”, in Bibel 2000‎^[3], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 14 October 2025:

     [Jesus såg] upp och sade: »Den av er som är fri från synd skall kasta första stenen på henne.«

     Jesus looked up and said, "Whoever among you is free from sin shall cast the first stone at her."

Declension

Inflection of fri

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	fri	friare	friast
neuter singular	fritt	friare	friast
plural	fria	friare	friast
masculine plural2	frie	friare	friast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	frie	friare	friaste
all	fria	friare	friaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Derived terms

• -fri
• fria
• frige
• frigöra
• frihamn
• frihandel
• friherre
• friherrinna
• frihet
• friidrott
• frikostig
• frikyrka
• frikår
• frikänna
• friland
• frilans
• friliggande
• frilufts-
• frilägga
• frimurare
• frimärke
• fripassagerare
• frisim
• frisinnad
• frisinne
• friskola
• frisläppa
• frispark
• fristad
• fristat
• fristil
• fristående
• frita
• fritid
• fritt
• frivillig

References

• fri in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker
• fri in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Tarifit

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.).

Verb

fri (Tifinagh spelling ⴼⵔⵉ)

1. (transitive) to tear, to rip

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• Verbal noun: afray

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vriː/

Noun

fri

1. soft mutation of bri

Mutation

Mutated forms of bri

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bri	fri	mri	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.