*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of frist

From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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 ↗
noun

A certain space or period of time; respite. · Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension. · Credit; trust.

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

From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also first.

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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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*frist"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *frist"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fierst",
        "4": "",
        "5": "period, space of time, time, respite, truce"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fristiz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fristiz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*pres-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *pres-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "ferst"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian ferst"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Frist",
        "3": "",
        "4": "period, deadline, term"
      },
      "expansion": "German Frist (“period, deadline, term”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "frist",
        "3": "",
        "4": "deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "frestur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "period"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic frestur (“period”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "frest",
      "frest#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "first",
      "first#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "furst",
      "furst#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fierst",
      "fierst#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*fristiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fristiz"
    ],
    [
      "*frestą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/frestą"
    ],
    [
      "*pres-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pres-"
    ],
    [
      "*per-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/per-"
    ],
    [
      "ferst",
      "ferst#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "frest",
      "frest#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Frist",
      "Frist#German"
    ],
    [
      "frist",
      "frist#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "frestur",
      "frestur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "first",
      "first#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A certain space or period of time; respite.",
        "Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension.",
        "Credit; trust."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment. · To defer; postpone.

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

From Middle English *fristen, frysten, fresten, firsten, from Old English *fyrstan (“to defer, delay, put off”), from fyrst, fierst, first (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”). See Etymology 1. Cognate with Low German versten, German fristen (“to eke out”), Danish friste (“to sustain, support, experience, tempt”), Icelandic fresta (“to delay”).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*fristen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *fristen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "",
        "4": "*fyrstan",
        "5": "to defer, delay, put off"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *fyrstan (“to defer, delay, put off”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "versten"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German versten"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "fristen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to eke out"
      },
      "expansion": "German fristen (“to eke out”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "friste",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to sustain, support, experience, tempt"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish friste (“to sustain, support, experience, tempt”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "fresta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to delay"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic fresta (“to delay”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "frysten",
      "frysten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fresten",
      "fresten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "firsten",
      "firsten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fyrst",
      "fyrst#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fierst",
      "fierst#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "first",
      "first#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "versten",
      "versten#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "fristen",
      "fristen#German"
    ],
    [
      "friste",
      "friste#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "fresta",
      "fresta#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment.",
        "To defer; postpone."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "ambitransitive"
      ],
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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 frist →

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
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZnJpc3Q