English word origin

Etymology of frosh

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 frog.

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

From Middle English frossh, frosch, from Old English frosc, from Proto-Germanic *fruskaz (“frog”), from Proto-Indo-European *prew- (“to jump, hop”). Cognate with West Frisian froask (“frog”), Dutch vors (“frog”), German Frosch (“frog”), Norwegian frosk (“frog”), Icelandic froskur (“frog”). Doublet of frosk; more at frog.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionfrosshenm
Inherited-form mentionfroscang
Inherited-form mention*fruskazgem-pro · frog
Derivation mention*prew-ine-pro · to jump, hop
Cognate mentionfroaskfy · frog
Cognate mentionvorsnl · frog
Cognate mentionFroschde · frog
Cognate mentionfroskno · frog
Cognate mentionfroskuris · frog
Doublet mentionfrosken

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": "frossh"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English frossh"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "frosc"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English frosc"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fruskaz",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fruskaz (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*prew-",
        "t": "to jump, hop"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *prew- (“to jump, hop”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "froask",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian froask (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "vors",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch vors (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Frosch",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "German Frosch (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "frosk",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian frosk (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "froskur",
        "t": "frog"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic froskur (“frog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frosk"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of frosk"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "frossh",
      "frossh#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "frosch",
      "frosch#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "frosc",
      "frosc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*fruskaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fruskaz"
    ],
    [
      "*prew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/prew-"
    ],
    [
      "froask",
      "froask#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "vors",
      "vors#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Frosch",
      "Frosch#German"
    ],
    [
      "frosk",
      "frosk#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "froskur",
      "froskur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "frosk",
      "frosk#English"
    ],
    [
      "frog",
      "frog#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "A frog."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A first-year student, at certain universities, and a first-or-second-year student at other universities. · Ellipsis of frosh week.

verb

To initiate academic freshmen, notably in a testing way. · To damage through incompetence.

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

Blend of freshman + sophomore.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Blend componentfreshmanen
Blend componentsophomoreen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "blend",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "sophomore"
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "freshman",
      "freshman#English"
    ],
    [
      "sophomore",
      "sophomore#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A first-year student, at certain universities, and a first-or-second-year student at other universities.",
        "Ellipsis of frosh week."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "abbreviation",
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        "To damage through incompetence."
      ],
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        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ],
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Where this record stops

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Contribute located evidence for frosh →

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-ZnJvc2g