Etymology

frown

F4R1O1W4N1

Today it means: A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration. Full definition →

Middle English frown
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frown · noun1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromfrown
  2. English todayfrown

From Middle English frown, froun (“a threatening appearance; lowering of the clouds”), from frounen (“to frown”). See below.

frown · verb2

  1. Proto-Celtic · derived from*srognā“nose”
  2. Frankish · derived from*hrunkwittjā“wrinkle”
  3. Medieval Latin · derived fromfruncāre“to wrinkle, crease, turn up one's nose, make a face, frown”
  4. Old French · derived fromfroignier
  5. Middle English · inherited fromfrounen“to frown as an expression of disapproval, displeasure, shame, fear, or jealousy”
  6. English todayfrown

From Middle English frounen (“to frown as an expression of disapproval, displeasure, shame, fear, or jealousy”), from Old French froignier, froingnier, frognier (“to wrinkle the mouth or forehead, frown, scowl”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Perhaps from Medieval Latin fruncāre (“to wrinkle, crease, turn up one's nose, make a face, frown”) (compare Old High German fruncetura (“wrinkle”), via Latin), from Frankish *hrunkwittjā (“wrinkle”)/*hrunkwōn (“to wrinkle”), whence Old High German runza (“wrinkle”). See also French froncer (“to frown, scowl”). Alternatively, perhaps from Gaulish *frognā (“nostril”), from Proto-Celtic *srognā (“nose”). Still yet, perhaps of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish fryna (“to frown, frown with one's nose, make a wry face”), Norwegian frøyna (“to wrinkle up one's nose, make a wry face; snort”). Compare also dialectal English frine (“to frown, whine, complain”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.