Meanings
frisk1
- archaicLively; brisk.
Her hands must hide her mouth if she but smile; Fain would she seem all frisk and frolic still
1597, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in Virgidemiarum, Sixe Bookes. First Three Bookes, of Tooth-lesse Satyrs. […], London: […] Thomas Creede, for Robert Dexter, →OCLCSynonyms: frolicsome, frisky
present singular third person frisks · participle present frisking · participle past frisked · past frisked
- transitiveTo search (someone) by feeling their body and clothing.
The police frisked the suspiciously-acting individual and found a knife as well as a bag of marijuana.
- transitiveTo search (a place).
Furniture was tipped over and drawers pulled out. Someone had obviously frisked the joint before we arrived.
Frisk2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLively; brisk.
nounThe act of frisking, of searching for something by feeling someone's body.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe act of searching someone for concealed weapons or illegal drugs
verbplay boisterously
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*preg-“greedy, fierce”
- Proto-Germanic*frekaz
- Gothic*𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃“greedy, hungry”
- Old Frenchfricque
- Proto-Germanic*friskaz“fresh”
- Old High Germanfrisc“fresh”
- Middle Dutchfrisc“fresh”
- Germanic
- Middle Frenchfrisque“lively, jolly, blithe, fine, spruce, gay”
- Middle Englishfrisk“lively, frisky”
- Englishfrisk
From Middle English frisk (“lively, frisky”), from Middle French frisque (“lively, jolly, blithe, fine, spruce, gay”), of Germanic origin, perhaps from Middle Dutch frisc (“fresh”) or Old High German frisc (“fresh”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”). Cognate with Icelandic frískur (“frisky, fresh”). Doublet of fresco and fresh. More at fresh. Alternative etymology derives frisk from an alteration (due to Old French fresche (“fresh”)) of Old French fricque, frique (“smart, strong, playful, bright”), from Gothic *𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*friks, “greedy, hungry”), from Proto-Germanic *frekaz, *frakaz (“greedy, active”), from Proto-Indo-European *preg- (“greedy, fierce”). Cognate with Middle Dutch vrec (“greedy, avaricious”), German frech (“insolent”), Old English frec (“greedy, eager, bold, daring, dangerous”). More at freak.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σκαίρω
- σκαίρω (skaírō)to frolic
Bulgarian игрив, скоклив
- игрив (igriv)lively; brisk; frolicsome
- скоклив (skokliv)lively; brisk; frolicsome
- подскачам от радост (podskačam ot radost)to frolic
- претърсвам (pretărsvam)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
Czech skotačit, dovádět
- skotačitto frolic
- dovádětto frolic
- prohledatto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- prošacovatto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Danish kåd, livlig
- kådlively; brisk; frolicsome
- livliglively; brisk; frolicsome
- sprælsklively; brisk; frolicsome
- kropsvisitereto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Dutch levendig, levendige
- levendiglively; brisk; frolicsome
- levendigelively; brisk; frolicsome
- fouillerento search somebody by feeling their clothes
Finnish eloisa, leikkisä
- eloisalively; brisk; frolicsome
- leikkisälively; brisk; frolicsome
- pomppiato frolic
- hypelläto frolic
- kirmaillato frolic
- tehdä henkilöntarkastusto search somebody by feeling their clothes
French fouiller
- fouillerto search somebody by feeling their clothes
German scherzen, filzen
- scherzento frolic
- filzento search somebody by feeling their clothes
Greek κάνω σωματική έρευνα
- κάνω σωματική έρευνα (káno somatikí érevna)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
Hebrew ביצע חיפוש גופני
- ביצע חיפוש גופני (bitséa khipús gufaní)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
Hungarian ugrándozik, ugrabugrál
- ugrándozikto frolic
- ugrabugrálto frolic
- szökdécselto frolic
- megmotozto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Icelandic frískur, leita á
- frískurlively; brisk; frolicsome
- leita áto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Irish pocléim
- pocléimto frolic
Latin scrutor
- scrutorto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Māori pepe
- pepeto frolic
Polish skoczny, żwawy
- skocznylively; brisk; frolicsome
- żwawylively; brisk; frolicsome
- swawolnylively; brisk; frolicsome
- rzutkilively; brisk; frolicsome
- energicznylively; brisk; frolicsome
- ożywionylively; brisk; frolicsome
- dziarskilively; brisk; frolicsome
- rześkilively; brisk; frolicsome
- rzeźwylively; brisk; frolicsome
- harcowaćto frolic
- brykaćto frolic
- rewidowaćto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- zrewidowaćto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- obszukiwaćto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- obszukaćto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Portuguese revistar, apalpar
- revistarto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- apalparto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Russian ре́звый, игри́вый
- ре́звый (rézvyj)lively; brisk; frolicsome
- игри́вый (igrívyj)lively; brisk; frolicsome
- резви́ться (rezvítʹsja)to frolic
- обы́скивать ощу́пыванием (obýskivatʹ oščúpyvanijem)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
Spanish vivaracho, juguetear
- vivaracholively; brisk; frolicsome
- juguetearto frolic
- cachearto search somebody by feeling their clothes
- palparto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Swedish visitera, muddra
- visiterato search somebody by feeling their clothes
- muddrato search somebody by feeling their clothes
Tagalog kapkapan
- kapkapanto search somebody by feeling their clothes
Ukrainian обшу́кувати, обшука́ти
- обшу́кувати (obšúkuvaty)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
- обшука́ти (obšukáty)to search somebody by feeling their clothes
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with frisk
All rhymes →Cite this entry
frisk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frisk
“frisk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frisk. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frisk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frisk.
Source: frisk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.