Online Etymology Dictionary

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 Frankfurter "of Frankfurt," because a sausage somewhat like a U.S. hot dog was originally made in Germany, where it was associated with the city of Frankfurt am Main (lit.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: late 14c., 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: mid-14c., "insane," unexplained variant of M.E. frentik (see frenetic). Transfered meaning "affected by wild excitement" is from late 15c.
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: early 14c., "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 1610s, "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 early 15c., 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.): mid-14c., "feeling of alarm," shortening of affray (q.v.; see also afraid). Meaning "a brawl, a fight" is from early 15c.
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: late 14c., 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 adverb 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 1580s, from notion of "free of cost." Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," it is recorded from late 14c. Freedman "manumitted slave" first recorded c.1600. Colloquial freeloader first recorded 1930s; free fall is from 1919, originally of parachutists; free-hand is from 1862; free-thinker is from 1690s. 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.
free verse: see vers libre.
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: late 14c., 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: mid-14c., from O.Fr. frenesie, from M.L. phrenesia, from phrenesis, back formation from L. phreneticus "delirious" (see frenetic).
Freon: "refrigerant chemical," 1932, proprietary name.
frequency: 1640s, "fact of occurring often," from L. frequentia (see frequent). Earlier it had been used in a now-bsolete sense of "state of being crowded" (mid-16c.); sense in physics, "rate of recurrence," especially of a vibration, is from 1831. In radio electronics, frequency modulation (1922, abbreviated F.M.) as a system of broadcasting is distinguished from amplitude modulation (or A.M.).
frequent: 1530s, from L. frequentem (nom. frequens) "crowded, repeated," of uncertain origin. The verb (late 15c.) is from L. frequentare "visit regularly."
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 (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.
fret (n.): "ornamental interlaced pattern," late 14c., 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.
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."
friar: late 13c., from O.Fr. frere "brother, friar," originally the mendicant orders (Franciscans, Augustines, Dominicans, Carmelites), who reached England early 13c., from L. frater "brother."
fricassee: 1568, from M.Fr. fricassée, fem. pp. of fricasser "mince and cook in sauce," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to M.Fr. frire "to fry" and casser, quasser "break, cut up."
friction: 1563, from L. frictionem (nom. frictio) "a rubbing, rubbing down," from fricare "to rub." Sense of "resistance to motion" is from 1722; figurative sense of "disagreement, clash" first recorded 1761.