*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of frill

Of uncertain origin.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To make into a frill. · To become wrinkled. · To provide or decorate with a frill or frills; to turn back in crimped plaits.

noun

A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim. · A substance or material on the edge of something, resembling such a strip of fabric. · A wrinkled edge to a film. · Something extraneous or not essential; something purely for show or effect; a luxury.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Of uncertain origin.

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "To make into a frill.",
        "To become wrinkled.",
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        "A wrinkled edge to a film.",
        "Something extraneous or not essential; something purely for show or effect; a luxury."
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      "tags": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To shake or shiver as with cold (with reference to a hawk). · To cry (with reference to a bird of prey).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old French friller.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for frill →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
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