Fraunce

English

Proper noun

Fraunce (countable and uncountable, plural Fraunces)

1. Obsolete form of France.
2. A surname.

See also

• Fraunces
• Frauncis

Anagrams

• furnace

Middle English

Alternative forms

• France, Frans, Franse, Fraunse, Frawnce, Frawns
• Franche (rare)

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman Fraunce, from Late Latin Francia, from francus +‎ -ia. As an adjective, presumably a modification of Fransch, variant of Frensch after the proper noun; compare the possible reverse analogy in the rare variant Franche, though there are other explanations for such forms (such as influence from Old Northern French Franche).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfrau̯ns(ə)/, /ˈfrans(ə)/
• IPA^(key): /ˈfrant͡ʃ(ə)/ (rare)

Proper noun

Fraunce

1. France (a medieval kingdom in Western Europe, corresponding to modern France)
2. (by extension) The area of Europe where the langue d'oïl is spoken.

Descendants

• English: France (see there for further descendants)
• Middle Scots: France, Frans, Franse, Fraunce
  • Scots: France

References

• “Fraunce, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• Ackerman, Robert W. (1952), “FRANCE”, in An Index of the Arthurian Names In Middle English (Stanford University Publications, University Series; Language and Literature; 10), Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, →OCLC, page 91; republished at New York: AMS Press, 1967.

Adjective

Fraunce

1. (Early Scots) French (ethnically or nationally)

Descendants

• Middle Scots: France, Fraunce

References

• “France, Fraunce, adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.

Middle Scots

Proper noun

Fraunce

1. alternative form of France

Adjective

Fraunce

1. alternative form of France

Norman

Alternative forms

• France (Jersey)

Proper noun

Fraunce

1. (continental) France (a country located primarily in Western Europe)

Old French

Proper noun

Fraunce f (nominative singular Fraunce)

1. (Anglo-Norman) alternative form of France

Related terms

• fraunceis, Fraunceis