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

found (1) --- establish, c.1290, from O.Fr. founder, from L. fundare "to lay the bottom or foundation of something," from fundus "bottom, foundation" (see fund (n.)).

found (2) --- cast metal, c.1390, from M.Fr. fondre "pour out, melt, mix together," from O.Fr. fondre, from L. fundere "melt, cast, pour out," from PIE *gheud-, from root *gheu- "to pour" (cf. Goth. giutan, O.E. geotan "to pour").

foundation --- c.1385, "action of founding," from L. fundationem (nom. fundatio) "a founding," from fundatus, pp. of fundare (see found (1)). The L. word is glossed in O.E. by staþol. Meaning "that which is founded" (a college, hospital, etc.) is from 1513; meaning "funds endowed" is c.1430. Sense of "solid base of a structure" is from 1494.

founder (v.) --- c.1330, from O.Fr. fondrer "submerge, fall to the bottom," from fond "bottom," from L. fundus "bottom, foundation" (see fund (n.)).

foundling --- deserted infant, c.1300, from M.E. founden "found," pp. of finden (see find) + dim. suffix -ling.

foundry --- 1601, from Fr. fonderei, from fondre (see found (2)).

fount --- 1593, probably a shortening of fountain, infl. by M.Fr. font "fount," first found in Shakespeare.

fountain --- c.1410, "spring of water that collects in a pool," from O.Fr. fontaine "natural spring," from L.L. fontana "fountain, spring," from L. fem. of fontanus "of a spring," from fons (gen. fontis) "spring (of water);" cognate with Skt. dhanvati "flows, runs." The extended sense of "artificial jet of water" (and the structures that make them) is first recorded 1509. Fountainhead "spring from which a stream flows" first recorded 1585. "A French fountain-pen is described in 1658 and Miss Burney used one in 1789" [Weekley].

four --- O.E. feower, from P.Gmc. *petwor- (cf. O.S. fiwar, O.Fris. fiuwer, Frank. fitter-, Du. and Ger. vier, O.N. fjorir, Dan. fire, Sw. fyra), from PIE *qwetwor (cf. Skt. catvarah, Avestan cathwaro, Pers. catvar, Gk. tessares, L. quattuor, Oscan petora, O.C.S. cetyre, Lith. keturi, O.Ir. cethir, Welsh petguar). The phonetic evolution of the Gmc. forms has not been fully explained. Fourteen is O.E. feowertyne. Slang four-eyes "person who wears glasses" first recorded 1874. Four-flusher is 1904, from verb four-flush "to bluff a poker hand, claim a flush with only four cards in the suit" (1896). Four-letter word first attested 1934; four-letter man, however, is recorded from 1923 (as a euphemism for a shit). A four-in-hand (1793) was a carriage with four horses driven by one person; in the sense of "loosely tied necktie" it is attested from 1892. To study The History of the Four Kings (1760, cf. Fr. Livres des Quatre Rois) contains euphemistic slang phrase for "a pack of cards" from the time when card-playing was considered a wicked pastime for students. Slang 4-1-1 is from the telephone number called to get customer information.

Fourierism --- 1841, in ref. to ideas of Fr. socialist François-Marie-Charles Fourier (1772-1837), whose plan also was called phalansterianism.

fourth estate --- the press, 1837, first recorded in writings of Carlyle, though he said it was not original to him (perhaps in use from c.1823). For the other three, see estate. Earlier the term had been applied in various senses that did not stick, including "the mob" (1752).

fowl --- O.E. fugel "bird," general Gmc. word (cf. Gothic fugls), from P.Gmc. *foglaz (cf. O.N. fugl, M.Du. voghel, Ger. vogel, Goth. fugls), probably by dissimilation from *flug-la-, lit. "flyer," from the same root as O.E. fleogan, modern fly (v.1). Originally "bird;" narrower sense of "domestic hen or rooster" (the main modern meaning) is first recorded 1580; in U.S. also extended to ducks and geese.

Fox --- Algonquian people, transl. Fr. renards, which itself may be a transl. of an Iroquoian term meaning "red fox people." Their name for themselves is /meškwahki:-haki/ "red earths."

fox --- O.E. fox, from W.Gmc. *fukhs (cf. O.H.G. fuhs, O.N. foa, Goth. fauho), from P.Gmc. base *fuh-, corresponding to PIE *puk- "tail" (cf. Skt. puccha- "tail"). The bushy tail is also the source of words for "fox" in Welsh (llwynog, from llwyn "bush"); Sp. (raposa, from rabo "tail"); Lith. (uodegis "fox," from uodega "tail"). Metaphoric extension to "clever person" is pre-1250. The verb is from 1567. Meaning "sexually attractive woman" is from 1940s; but foxy in this sense is recorded from 1895. Foxed in booksellers' catalogues means "stained with fox-colored marks." Fox-trot (dance) 1915, on notion of a fox's short steps. Foxhole is from O.E. foxhol in the literal sense; the meaning "a soldier's protective hole" is from 1919. Foxglove is O.E. foxes glofa, but the connection is obscure.

foyer --- 1859, from Fr. foyer "green room, room for actors when not on stage," lit. "fireplace," from O.Fr. foyer, from L. focarius "having to do with the hearth," from focus "hearth, fireplace."

fracas --- 1727, from Fr. fracas, from It. fracasso "uproar, crash," from fracassare "to smash, crash, break in pieces," from fra, aphetic of L. infra "below" + It. cassare "to break," from L. quassare "to shake."

fractal --- 1975, from Fr., from L. fractus "broken," pp. of frangere "to break" (see fraction). Coined by Fr. mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in "Les Objets Fractals." "Many important spatial patterns of Nature are either irregular or fragmented to such an extreme degree that ... classical geometry ... is hardly of any help in describing their form. ... I hope to show that it is possible in many cases to remedy this absence of geometric representation by using a family of shapes I propose to call fractals -- or fractal sets." [Mandelbrot, "Fractals," 1977]

fraction --- 1391, from L.L. fractionem (nom. fractio) "a breaking," especially into pieces, from root of L. frangere (pt. fregi) "to break," from PIE base *bhr(e)g- (cf. Skt. (giri)-bhraj "breaking-forth (out of the mountains);" Goth. brikan, O.E. brecan "to break;" Lith. brasketi "crash, crack;" O.Ir. braigim "break" wind). Mathematical sense was the original one in Eng. Sense of "broken off piece, fragment," is from 1606.

fractious --- 1725, from fraction in an obsolete sense of "brawling, discord" + -ous; probably on model of captious.

fracture (n.) --- 1525, "a breaking of a bone," from M.Fr. fracture, from L. fractura "a breach, break, cleft" (1502), from root of frangere "to break" (see fraction). The verb is first recorded 1612.

fragility --- 1398, "moral weakness," from O.Fr. fragilité, from L. fragilitatem (nom. fragilitas) "brittleness," from fragilis "brittle, easily broken," from root of frangere "to break" (see fraction). Meaning "easily broken" first recorded in Eng. 1474. Fragile is 1513 as "liable to sin;" 1607 as "liable to break."

fragment (n.) --- 1531, from L. fragmentum "a fragment, remnant," from root of frangere "to break." The verb is first recorded 1818 in Keats' "Endymion." The verb frag is first attested 1970 in U.S. military slang, from fragmentation grenade (1918). "Fragging is a macabre ritual of Vietnam in which American enlisted men attempt to murder their superiors. The word comes from the nickname for hand grenades, a weapon popular with enlisted men because the evidence is destroyed with the consummation of the crime." ["Saturday Review," Jan. 8, 1972]

fragrant --- c.1500, from L. fragrantem (nom. fragrans) "sweet-smelling," prp. of fragrare "emit (a sweet) odor," cognate with M.H.G. bræhen "to smell," M.Du. bracke, O.H.G. braccho "hound, setter" (see brach).

fraidy-cat --- coward, c.1910 slang, from child's pronunciation of afraid + cat (q.v.).

frail --- c.1340, "morally weak," from O.Fr. frele, from L. fragilis "easily broken" (see fragility). Sense of "liable to break" is first recorded in Eng. 1382. The U.S. slang noun meaning "a woman" is attested from 1908.

fraktur --- German black-lettering, 1886, from Ger. Fraktur, from L. fractura (see fracture), so called from its angular, "broken" letters. The style was commonly used in Ger. printing from c.1540. Sense often transferred to Pennsylvania German arts that incorporate the lettering.

framboise --- 1578, from Fr. framboise "raspberry" (12c.), usually explained as a corruption of Du. braambezie (cognate with Ger. brombeere "blackberry," lit. "bramble-berry"). "But some French scholars doubt this" [OED].

frame (v.) --- O.E. framian "to profit, be helpful, make progress," from fram "vigorous, bold," originally "going forward;" influenced by related O.E. fremman "help forward, promote, further, do, perform, accomplish," and by O.N. fremja "to further, execute" (see from). Sense focused in M.E. from "make ready" to "prepare timber for building" (c.1374). Meaning of "compose, devise" is first attested 1547. The noun meaning "established order, plan" and that of "human body" are both first recorded 1599; originally the noun meant "the rack" (c.1375). Meaning "building" is from c.1425; that of "border or case for a picture or pane of glass" is from 1600. Of bicycles, from 1871; of motor cars, from 1900. The criminal slang sense of "blame an innocent person" (1920s) is probably from earlier sense of "plot in secret" (1900), perhaps ultimately from meaning "fabricate a story with evil intent," first attested 1514. Framework first attested 1644. Frame of reference is 1897, from mechanics; the fig. sense is from 1924.

franc --- c.1386, from M.L. Francorum Rex "King of the Franks," inscribed on gold coins first made during the reign of Jean le Bon (1350-64).

Frances --- fem. proper name, from Fr., from O.Fr. Franceise (modern Fr. Françoise), fem. of Franceis (see Francis).

franchise --- c.1290, from O.Fr. franchise "freedom," from variant stem of franc "free" (see frank). Sense narrowed 18c. to "particular legal privilege," then "right to vote" (1790). Meaning "authorization by a company to sell its products or services" is from 1959.

Francis --- male proper name, from Fr. François, from O.Fr. Franceis, from L.L. franciscus, lit. "Frankish," cognate with French and frank.

Franciscan --- 1592, "friar of the order founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi" (1182-1226).

Franco- --- French, 1711, from M.L. combining form of Franci "the Franks, the French" (see frank). Francophobia (1887) was earlier in Eng. than Francophile (1889).

frangible --- 1440, from M.Fr. frangible, from M.L. frangibilis, from L. frangere "to break" (see fraction).

Franglais --- French marred by many English words, 1959, from Fr., from français "French" + anglais "English."

frank --- c.1300, from O.Fr. franc "free, sincere, genuine," from M.L. Franc "a freeman, a Frank," one of the Gmc. people that conquered Celtic Gaul from the Romans c.500 C.E. and called it France, from Frankish *Frank (cf. O.H.G. Franko, O.E. Franca). The connection is that only Franks, as the conquering class, had the status of freemen. Sense of "outspoken" first recorded in Eng. 1548 (frankly in this sense is from c.1540). The origin of the ethnic name is uncertain; it traditionally is said to be from the old Gmc. word *frankon "javelin, lance" (cf. O.E. franca; also Saxon, traditionally from root of O.E. seax "knife"), their preferred weapon, but the opposite may be the case. In the Levant, this was the name given to anyone of Western nationality (cf. Feringhee). Verbal sense of "to free a letter for carriage or an article for publication" (1708) is from Fr. affranchir, from the same source.

Frankenstein --- allusive use dates to 1838, from Baron Frankenstein, character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus." Commonly used, mistakenly, to mean the monster he created, and thus franken- extended 1990s as a prefix to mean "non-natural."

frankfurter --- 1894, Amer.Eng., from Ger. Frankfurter "of Frankfurt," because a sausage somewhat like a U.S. hot dog was originally made in Germany, where it was associated with the city of Frankfurt am Main (lit. "ford of the Franks on the River Main"). Attested from 1877 as Frankfort sausage. Shortened form frank first attested 1936.

frankincense --- c.1387, from O.Fr. franc "noble, true" (see frank), in this case probably signifying "of the highest quality" + encens "incense" (q.v.).

Franklin --- surname attested from 1195, M.E. Frankeleyn, from Anglo-Fr. fraunclein "a land-owner of free but not noble birth," from O.Fr. franc (see frank), with suffix also found in chamberlain (q.v.). The Franklin stove (1787) so called because it was invented by U.S. scientist/politician Benjamin Franklin (1706-90).

frantic --- c.1362, "insane," unexplained variant of M.E. frentik (see frenetic). Transf. meaning "affected by wild excitement" is from c.1477.

frappe --- iced drink, 1848, Amer.Eng., from Fr. frappé, from pp. of frapper "to chill," lit. "to beat," from O.Fr. fraper "to hit, strike," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative.

fraternity --- c.1330, "body of men associated by common interest," from O.Fr. fraternité, from L. fraternitatem (nom. fraternitas), from fraternus "brotherly," from frater "brother," from PIE *bhrater (see brother). College Greek-letter organization sense is from 1777, first in reference to Phi Beta Kappa; shortened form frat first recorded 1895. Fraternize is attested from 1611, "to sympathize as brothers;" sense of "cultivate friendship with enemy troops" is from 1897; used oddly by World War II armed forces to mean "have sex with women from enemy countries." Fraternal is 1421, from M.L. fraternalis, from L. fraternus.

fratricide --- 1450, from L. fratricida, from frater "brother" + cida "killer," or cidum "a killing," both from caedere "to kill, to cut down" (see concise).

frau --- married woman, c.1813, from Ger. Frau "woman, wife," from M.H.G. vrouwe "lady, mistress," from O.H.G. frouwa "mistress," said to be from PIE *prowo-, from base *per- "beyond."

fraud --- criminal deception, 1345, from O.Fr. fraude, from L. fraudem (nom. fraus) "deceit, injury." The noun meaning "impostor, humbug" is attested from 1850. Pious fraud "deception practiced for the sake of what is deemed a good purpose" is from 1563.

fraught --- c.1300, "laden" (of vessels), from M.E. fraughten "to load (a ship) with cargo," from fraght "cargo, lading of a ship," var. of freight, infl. by M.Du. vrachten "to load or furnish with cargo," from P.Gmc. *fra-aihtiz (see freight). Figurative sense is first attested 1576.

fray (n.) --- c.1340, "feeling of alarm," shortening of affray (q.v.; see also afraid). Meaning "a brawl, a fight" is from c.1420.

fray (v.) --- wear out by rubbing, c.1405, from M.Fr. frayer, from O.Fr. freier, from L. fricare "to rub."

frazzle --- c.1825, from E.Anglian variant of 17c. fasel "to unravel, fray" (like the end of a rope), from M.E. facelyn "to fray," from fasylle "fringe, frayed edge," dim. of O.E. fæs "fringe." Probably influenced in form by fray (v.).

freak --- 1563, "sudden turn of mind," probably related to O.E. frician "to dance" (not recorded in M.E., but the word may have survived in dialect), or perhaps from M.E. frek "bold, quickly," from O.E. frec "greedy, gluttonous." Sense of "capricious notion" (1563) and "unusual thing, fancy" (1784) preceded that in freak of nature (1847). The verb freak out is first attested 1965 in Amer.Eng., from freak (n.) "drug user" (1945), but the verb meaning "change, distort" goes back to 1911, and the sense in health freak, ecology freak, etc. is attested from 1908.

freckle --- 1380, probably from O.N. freknur (pl.) "freckles," of unknown origin.

Freddie Mac --- by 1992, vaguely from Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

Frederick --- from Fr. Frédéric, from Ger. Friedrich, from O.H.G. Fridurih, from P.Gmc. *Frid-ric, lit. "peace-rule." Not a common name in medieval England, found mostly in the eastern counties.

free (adj.) --- O.E. freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble, joyful," from P.Gmc. *frijaz (cf. M.H.G. vri, Ger. frei, Du. vrij, Goth. freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved" (cf. Skt. priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" O.C.S. prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free"). The adv. is from O.E. freon, freogan "to free, love." The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Gmc. and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. L. liberi, meaning both "free" and "children"). Cf. Goth. frijon "to love;" O.E. freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" O.N. friðr, Ger. Friede "peace;" O.E. freo "wife;" O.N. Frigg "wife of Odin," lit. "beloved" or "loving;" M.L.G. vrien "to take to wife, Du. vrijen, Ger. freien "to woo." Sense of "given without cost" is 1585, from notion of "free of cost." Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," it is recorded from 1375. Freedman "manumitted slave" first recorded 1601. Colloquial freeloader first recorded 1930s; free fall is from 1919, originally of parachutists; free-hand is from 1862; free-thinker is from 1692. Freebie dates back to 1942 as freeby, perhaps as early as 1900. Free-for-all "mass brawl" (in which anyone may participate) first recorded 1881. Freebase (n. and v.) in ref. to cocaine first recorded 1980.

freebooter --- 1570, from Du. vrijbuiter, from vrijbuiten "to rob, plunder," from vrijbuit "plunder," lit. "free booty," from vrij "free" + buit "booty," from buiten "to exchange or plunder," from M.Du. buten.

freedom --- O.E. freodom (see free). Freedom-rider recorded 1961, in ref. to civil rights activists in U.S. trying to integrate bus lines.

freelance --- medieval mercenary warrior, 1820, from free + lance; apparently a coinage of Sir Walter Scott's. Fig. sense is from 1864; the verb is first attested 1903.

Freemason --- 1376, originally a traveling guild of masons with a secret code; in the early 17c. they began accepting honorary members and teaching them the secrets and lore, which by 1717 had developed into the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons. The exact origin of the free- is a subject of dispute. Some see a corruption of Fr. frère "brother," from frèremaçon "brother mason;" others say it was because the masons worked on "free" standing stones; still others see them as "free" from the control of local guilds.

freewheeling --- 1903, from free + wheel; originally of bicycle wheels that turned even when not being pedaled, later from the name of a kind of automobile drive system that allowed cars to coast without being slowed by the engine. Fig. sense is from 1911.

freeze --- O.E. freosan "turn to ice" (class II strong verb; past tense freas, pp. froren), from P.Gmc. *freusanan (cf. O.N. frjosa, O.H.G. friosan, Ger. frieren "to freeze," Goth. frius "frost"), from P.Gmc. *freus-, equivalent to PIE base *preus- "to freeze," also "to burn" (cf. Skt. prusva, L. pruina "hoarfrost," Welsh rhew "frost," Skt. prustah "burnt," Albanian prus "burning coals," L. pruna "a live coal"). Transitive sense first recorded 14c., figurative sense c.1400. Meaning "become rigid or motionless" first recorded 1848, in "Jane Eyre." Sense of "fix at a certain level, make non-transactable" is 1922. Archaic frore "frosty, frozen" can be found in poetry as late as Keats; it is from O.E. frorer, pp. of freosan. First record of freezer in reference to a machine for keeping things very cold is from 1847. Freeze frame is from 1960, originally "a briefly Frozen Shot after the Jingle to allow ample time for Change over at the end of a T.V. 'Commercial.' " ["ABC of Film & TV," 1960].

freight --- 1228, from M.Du. or M.L.G. vracht, vrecht, originally "cost of transport," probably from O.Fris., from P.Gmc. *fra-aihtiz "absolute possession, property," from *fra-, intensive prefix + *aik "to be master of, possess." Freighter "vessel for cargo" first recorded 1839.

French --- O.E. frencisc "of the Franks" (see frank). Euphemistic meaning "bad language" (pardon my French) is from 1895. Used in many combination-words, often dealing with food or sex. French fries is 1918 Amer.Eng., from French fried potatoes (1894, first attested in O.Henry); French dressing first recorded 1900; French toast is from 1660. French letter "condom" (c.1856), French (v.) "perform oral sex on" (c.1917) and French kiss (1923) all probably stem from the Anglo-Saxon equation of Gallic culture and sexual sophistication, a sense first recorded 1749 in French novel. To take French leave, "depart without telling the host," is 1771, from a social custom then prevalent. However, in France this is said to be called filer à l'anglaise, lit. "to take English leave."

frenetic --- c.1374, from O.Fr. frenetike, from L. phreneticus "delirious," alteration of Gk. phrenitikos, from phrenitis "frenzy," lit. "inflammation of the brain," from phren "mind, reason" + -itis. The classical ph- was restored mid-16c.

frenzy --- c.1340, from O.Fr. frenesie, from M.L. phrenesia, from phrenesis, back-formation of L. phreneticus "delirious" (see frenetic).

Freon --- refrigerant chemical, 1932, proprietary name.

frequent --- 1531, from L. frequentem (nom. frequens) "crowded, repeated," of uncertain origin. The v. (1477) is from L. frequentare "visit regularly." Frequency (1551) came to be used 1831 in physics for "rate of recurrence," especially of a vibration. In radio electronics, frequency modulation (1922, abbreviated F.M.) as a system of broadcasting is distinguished from amplitude modulation (or A.M.).

fresco --- 1598, in fresco, lit. "in fresh," with a sense of "painted on fresh mortar or plaster," from It. fresco "cool, fresh," from P.Gmc. *friskaz (see fresh).

fresh (1) --- late 13c. metathesis of O.E. fersc "unsalted," from W.Gmc. *friskaz (cf. O.Fris. fersk, Du. vers, Ger. frisch "fresh"), probably cognate with O.C.S. presinu "fresh," Lith. preskas "sweet." The metathesis, and the expanded M.E. senses of "new, pure, eager" are probably by influence of O.Fr. fres (fem. fresche), from P.Gmc. *frisko-, related to the Eng. word. To freshen a drink, "top it off" is from 1961.

fresh (2) --- impudent, presumptuous, 1848, U.S. slang, probably from Ger. frech "insolent, cheeky," from O.H.G. freh "covetous," related to O.E. frec "greedy, bold" (see freak).

freshet --- 1596, "stream flowing into the sea," from fresh in a now obsolete sense of "flood, stream of fresh water." Meaning "flood caused by rain or melting snow" is from 1654.

freshman --- c.1550, "newcomer, novice;" sense of "university student in first year" is attested from 1596.

fret (n.) --- ornamental interlaced pattern, c.1386, from O.Fr. frete "interlaced work, trellis work," probably from Frank. *fetur (cf. O.E. fetor, O.H.G. feggara "fetter") perhaps from notion of "decorative anklet," or of materials "bound" together. The other noun, "ridge on the fingerboard of a guitar," is c.1500 of unknown origin but possibly another sense of O.Fr. frete.

fret (v.) --- O.E. fretan "eat, devour" (in O.E., used of monsters and Vikings; in M.E., used of animals' eating), from P.Gmc. compound *fra- "for-" + *etan "to eat" (cf. Du. vreton, O.H.G. freggan, Ger. fressen, Goth. fraitan). Figurative sense of "irritate, worry, eat one's heart out" is c.1200. Modern Ger. still distinguishes essen for humans and fressen for animals.

Freudian --- 1910, used at first in a general way for "sexual," from name of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Austrian psychiatrist. Freudian slip first attested 1959.

Freya --- goddess of love and beauty in Norse mythology, O.N. Freyja, related to O.E. frea "lord," O.S. frua, M.Du. vrouwe "woman, wife," Ger. Frau; see Frigg). "Frigga is usually considered the goddess of married love; Freya, the goddess of love, the northern Venus. Actually, Frigga is of the Aesir family of Scandinavian myth; Freya, of the Vanir family; the two lines of belief merged, and the two goddesses are sometimes fused, and sometimes confused." [Shipley]

friable --- 1563, from L. friabilis "easily crumbled or broken," from friare "rub away, crumble into small pieces," related to fricare "to rub."