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

• 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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Byron and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     frequent feudal towers

3. Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.
   • (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     He has been loud and frequent in declaring himself hearty for the government.

4. (obsolete) Full; crowded; thronged.
   • (Can we date this quote by Ben Jonson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

5. (obsolete) Often or commonly reported.
   • (Can we date this quote by Massinger and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

Synonyms

• regular
• recurring
• continual
• steady

Antonyms

• rare
• uncommon

Related terms

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

Translations

done or occurring often

• Arabic: مُتَكَرِّر (mutakarrir)
• Belarusian: ча́сты (částy)
• Bulgarian: чест (bg) (čest)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頻繁／频繁 (zh) (pínfán), 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: frequēns, saepis
• 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) m or f
• Turkish: sıkça (tr)
• Ukrainian: ча́стий (částyj)
• Welsh: aelaw, aml (cy)

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• 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

• Bulgarian: посещавам често (poseštavam često)
• Catalan: freqüentar (ca)
• Finnish: käydä usein
• French: fréquenter (fr), hanter (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: φοιτάω (phoitáō)

• Hungarian: látogat (hu)
• Icelandic: stunda (is), sækja, venja komur sínar á, venja komur sínar í
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: minicigh
• Italian: frequentare (it)
• Maori: hōngongoi, hōngoingoi, muremure
• Polish: uczęszczać (pl), bywać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: frequentar (pt)
• Russian: ча́сто (ru) (částo) посеща́ть (ru) (poseščátʹ), захаживать (ru) (zaxaživatʹ), частить (ru) impf (častítʹ)
• Spanish: frecuentar (es)

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.

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German

Etymology

From Latin frequens.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

frequent (comparative frequenter, superlative am frequentesten)

1. (dated or medicine) frequent

Further reading

• “frequent” in Duden online

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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