frain

See also: Frain

English

Alternative forms

• frein (Northern England)
• frane (Scotland)
• frayne, fraine, frayn, freyne (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English frainen, freinen (“to ask”), from Old English freġnan, friġnan (“to ask, inquire, learn”), from Proto-Germanic *fregnaną (“to ask”), from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask, woo”). 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”), Lithuanian prašyti (“to request”), Polish prosić (“to request”).

Verb

frain (third-person singular simple present frains, present participle fraining, simple past frained or frain or (rare) froin, past participle frained or froun or (rare) frounen)

1. (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, Parker, Psalme. XXVIII.:

     Theyr myndes disdayne: Gods actes to frain [...]

   • 1575-6, Durham, Depositions and Other:

     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, Warner, Albion's England. Book VII:

     I, musing, frain'd her meaning: she / Her meaning thus did tell.

   • 1803, Amadis de Gaul: 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

• fraining

Anagrams

• infra, infra-

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• frein, fraign

Etymology

From Old English freġn, fræġn (“question”), akin to Old English friġnan (“to ask”).

Noun

frain

1. question

Related terms

• frainen

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Old French

Noun

frain m (oblique plural frainz, nominative singular frainz, nominative plural frain)

1. bit (equipment placed in a horse's mouth)

Descendants

• French: frein

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Scots

Alternative forms

• frayn, frayne, frane

Etymology

From Middle English fraynen, frainen, freinen, from Old English freġnan (“to ask”) and Old Norse fregna (“to ask”).

Verb

frain (third-person singular present frains, present participle frainin, past fraint, past participle fraint)

1. (transitive) to ask, ask about, ask for
2. to enquire
3. (intransitive) to make inquiry
4. to request

Related terms

• fraining

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Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vrai̯n/

Noun

frain

1. Soft mutation of brain.