Etymology

defray

de·fray
D2E1F4R1A1Y4

Today it means: To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something). Full definition →

Middle French desfrayer ← French défrayer ← Old French fraier
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromfraier“to spend”
  2. French · derived fromdéfrayer
  3. Middle French · derived fromdesfrayer
  4. English todaydefray

From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchfraier all →

fray

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.