frequent

See also: fréquent and freqüent

English

Etymology 1

From Old French frequent, from Latin frequens (“crowded, crammed, frequent, repeated, etc.”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhrek- (“to cram together”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiː.kwənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

frequent (comparative more frequent or frequenter, superlative most frequent or frequentest)

1. Done or occurring often; common.

   I take frequent breaks so I don't get too tired.

   There are frequent trains to the beach available.

   I am a frequent visitor to that city.

   • 1999, Nicholas Walker, “The Reorientation of Critical Theory: Habermas”, in Simon Glemdinning, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy‎^[1], Routledge, →ISBN, page 489:

     During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, this commitment brought him into frequent critical confrontation with entrenched forms of conservative thinking [...]

2. Occurring at short intervals.
   • 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: Printed for John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza LV.2, page 31:

     Above, the frequent feudal towers / Through green leaves lift their walls of grey, [...]

3. Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.
   • 1709, [Jonathan Swift], A Project for the Advancement of Religion, and the Reformation of Manners. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], →OCLC, page 59:

     [E]very Man thinks he has laid in a ſufficient Stock of Merit, and my pretend to any Employment, provided he has been loud and frequent in declaring himſelf hearty for the Government.

4. (obsolete) Full; crowded; thronged.
   • 1603 (first performance; published 1605)​, Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Seianus his Fall. A Tragœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Ben Jonson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC:

     'Tis Caesar's will to have a frequent senate.

5. (obsolete) Often or commonly reported.
   • 1626, Philip Massinger, The Roman Actor

     'Tis frequent in the city he hath subdued / The Catti and the Daci.

Synonyms

• regular
• recurring
• continual
• steady

Antonyms

• rare
• uncommon

Derived terms

• frequent flier, frequent flyer

Related terms

• frequency
• frequently
• infrequent
• frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Translations

done or occurring often

• Arabic: مُتَكَرِّر‎ (mutakarrir)
• Asturian: frecuente
• Belarusian: ча́сты (částy)
• Bulgarian: чест (bg) (čest)
• Catalan: freqüent (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頻繁／频繁 (zh) (pínfán)

• Czech: častý (cs) m
• Dutch: veelvuldig (nl), frequent (nl)
• Esperanto: ofta (eo)
• Finnish: yleinen (fi), toistuva (fi), jatkuva (fi), taaja (fi), usein tapahtuva
• French: fréquent (fr) m, fréquente (fr) f
• Georgian: ხშირი (xširi)
• German: häufig (de)
• Greek: συχνός (el) (sychnós)

  Ancient: συχνός (sukhnós), πυκνός (puknós)

• Hindi: बार बार (bār bār), बारंबार (hi) (bārambār)
• Hungarian: gyakori (hu)
• Icelandic: tíður
• Irish: minic
• Italian: frequente (it), assiduo (it)
• Japanese: 頻繁な (ja) (ひんぱんな, hinpan na)
• Korean: 빈번한 (ko) (binbeonhan)
• Latin: frequēns, saepis, creber
• Latvian: biežs
• Lithuanian: dažnas
• Malay: kerap (ms)
• Manx: mennick
• Maori: pūputu, putuputu, auau
• Norwegian: hyppig (no)
• Old Norse: iðuligr, iðugligr
• Polish: częsty (pl)
• Portuguese: freqüente (pt) m or f, frequente (pt)
• Romanian: frecvent (ro)
• Russian: ча́стый (ru) (částyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: minig
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чест

  Roman: čest (sh)

• Slovak: častý
• Spanish: frecuente (es)
• Turkish: sıkça (tr)
• Ukrainian: ча́стий (částyj)
• Welsh: aelaw, aml (cy)

Etymology 2

From Old French frequenter, from Latin frequentare (“to fill, crowd, visit often, do or use often, etc.”), from frequens (“frequent, crowded”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɹɪˈkwɛnt/
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

frequent (third-person singular simple present frequents, present participle frequenting, simple past and past participle frequented)

1. (transitive) To visit often.

   I used to frequent that restaurant.

Derived terms

• frequenter
• unfrequented

Translations

to visit often

• Arabic: اِرْتَادَ‎ (irtāda)
• Bulgarian: посещавам често (poseštavam često)
• Catalan: freqüentar (ca)
• Czech: často chodit, pravidelně navštěvovat
• Finnish: käydä usein
• French: fréquenter (fr), hanter (fr)
• Galician: frecuentar (gl), amiudar
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: φοιτάω (phoitáō)

• Hungarian: látogat (hu)
• Icelandic: stunda (is), sækja, venja komur sínar á, venja komur sínar í
• Irish: minicigh
• Italian: frequentare (it)
• Maori: hōngongoi, hōngoingoi, muremure
• Occitan: frequentar (oc)
• Polish: uczęszczać (pl), bywać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: frequentar (pt)
• Russian: ча́сто посеща́ть (částo poseščátʹ), захаживать (ru) (zaxaživatʹ), части́ть (ru) impf (častítʹ)
• Spanish: frecuentar (es), prodigarse (es) (Spain)

Further reading

• “frequent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “frequent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French frequent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frɛˈkʋɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fre‧quent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Adjective

frequent (comparative frequenter, superlative frequentst)

1. frequent

   Synonyms: veelvuldig, vaak

Inflection

Inflection of frequent
uninflected	frequent
inflected	frequente
comparative	frequenter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		frequent	frequenter	het frequentst het frequentste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	frequente	frequentere	frequentste
	n. sing.	frequent	frequenter	frequentste
	plural	frequente	frequentere	frequentste
definite		frequente	frequentere	frequentste
partitive		frequents	frequenters	—

Related terms

• frequenteren
• frequentie

 

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin frequens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fʁeˈkvɛnt]
• Hyphenation: fre‧quent

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

frequent (strong nominative masculine singular frequenter, comparative frequenter, superlative am frequentesten)

1. (dated or medicine) frequent

Declension

Positive forms of frequent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist frequent	sie ist frequent	es ist frequent	sie sind frequent
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frequenter	frequente	frequentes	frequente
	genitive	frequenten	frequenter	frequenten	frequenter
	dative	frequentem	frequenter	frequentem	frequenten
	accusative	frequenten	frequente	frequentes	frequente
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frequente	die frequente	das frequente	die frequenten
	genitive	des frequenten	der frequenten	des frequenten	der frequenten
	dative	dem frequenten	der frequenten	dem frequenten	den frequenten
	accusative	den frequenten	die frequente	das frequente	die frequenten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frequenter	eine frequente	ein frequentes	(keine) frequenten
	genitive	eines frequenten	einer frequenten	eines frequenten	(keiner) frequenten
	dative	einem frequenten	einer frequenten	einem frequenten	(keinen) frequenten
	accusative	einen frequenten	eine frequente	ein frequentes	(keine) frequenten

Comparative forms of frequent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist frequenter	sie ist frequenter	es ist frequenter	sie sind frequenter
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frequenterer	frequentere	frequenteres	frequentere
	genitive	frequenteren	frequenterer	frequenteren	frequenterer
	dative	frequenterem	frequenterer	frequenterem	frequenteren
	accusative	frequenteren	frequentere	frequenteres	frequentere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frequentere	die frequentere	das frequentere	die frequenteren
	genitive	des frequenteren	der frequenteren	des frequenteren	der frequenteren
	dative	dem frequenteren	der frequenteren	dem frequenteren	den frequenteren
	accusative	den frequenteren	die frequentere	das frequentere	die frequenteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frequenterer	eine frequentere	ein frequenteres	(keine) frequenteren
	genitive	eines frequenteren	einer frequenteren	eines frequenteren	(keiner) frequenteren
	dative	einem frequenteren	einer frequenteren	einem frequenteren	(keinen) frequenteren
	accusative	einen frequenteren	eine frequentere	ein frequenteres	(keine) frequenteren

Superlative forms of frequent

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am frequentesten	sie ist am frequentesten	es ist am frequentesten	sie sind am frequentesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frequentester	frequenteste	frequentestes	frequenteste
	genitive	frequentesten	frequentester	frequentesten	frequentester
	dative	frequentestem	frequentester	frequentestem	frequentesten
	accusative	frequentesten	frequenteste	frequentestes	frequenteste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frequenteste	die frequenteste	das frequenteste	die frequentesten
	genitive	des frequentesten	der frequentesten	des frequentesten	der frequentesten
	dative	dem frequentesten	der frequentesten	dem frequentesten	den frequentesten
	accusative	den frequentesten	die frequenteste	das frequenteste	die frequentesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frequentester	eine frequenteste	ein frequentestes	(keine) frequentesten
	genitive	eines frequentesten	einer frequentesten	eines frequentesten	(keiner) frequentesten
	dative	einem frequentesten	einer frequentesten	einem frequentesten	(keinen) frequentesten
	accusative	einen frequentesten	eine frequenteste	ein frequentestes	(keine) frequentesten

Further reading

• “frequent” in Duden online
• “frequent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Old French

Adjective

frequent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular frequent or frequente)

1. frequent; often

Declension

Declension of frequent

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	frequenz	frequente	frequent
	Oblique	frequent			frequente	frequent
Plural	Subject	frequent	frequentes		frequent
	Oblique	frequenz			frequentes	frequent

Descendants

• → English: frequent
• French: fréquent