fresh

fresh · adjective, adverb, noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromfreshen“to freshen”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*preysk-“fresh”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*friskaz“fresh”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*frisk“fresh”
5. Old English · inherited fromfersċ“fresh, pure, sweet”
6. Middle English · inherited fromfressh
7. English todayfresh

From Middle English fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to freshen”), from the adjective. Cognate with Scots fresch (“fresh”), West Frisian farsk (“fresh”), Dutch vers (“fresh”), Walloon frexh (“fresh”), German frisch (“fresh”), French frais (“fresh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk frisk (“fresh”), Swedish frisk (“well, fresh”), Icelandic ferskur (“fresh”), Lithuanian prėskas (“unflavoured, tasteless, fresh”), Russian пре́сный (présnyj, “sweet, fresh, unleavened, tasteless”). Doublet of fresco and frisk. Slang sense possibly shortened form of “fresh out the pack”, 1980s routine by Grand Wizzard Theodore.

fresh · adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*preg-“to be quick, twitch, sprinkle, splash”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*frekaz“greedy, outrageous, courageous, capable, active”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*frek
4. Old High German · derived fromfreh“greedy, eager, avaricious, covetous”
5. Middle High German · derived fromvrech“bold, brave, lively”
6. German · borrowed fromfrech“impudent, cheeky, insolent”
7. English todayfresh

First use appears c. 1848, US slang, probably from German frech (“impudent, cheeky, insolent”), from Middle High German vrech (“bold, brave, lively”), from Old High German freh (“greedy, eager, avaricious, covetous”), from Proto-West Germanic *frek, from Proto-Germanic *frekaz (“greedy, outrageous, courageous, capable, active”), from Proto-Indo-European *preg- (“to be quick, twitch, sprinkle, splash”). Cognate with Old English frec (“greedy; eager, bold, daring; dangerous”) and Danish fræk (“naughty”). More at freak.

Fresh · proper noun³

1. German · derived fromFrisch
2. English todayFresh

Possibly an Americanized form of German Frisch.

Words from the same roots