fresh
/frɛʃ/
adjective
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*friskaz — fresh, lively, new
Overview
Meaning Now
- Newly made, gathered, or harvested; not preserved or canned.
- Not tired or exhausted; full of vigor or energy.
- Impertinent or overly forward in behavior.
Literal older meaning
full of life or strength
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
fersc
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word originally focused on the contrast between salt water and drinkable (fresh) water. By the 13th century, it expanded to describe food that had not been salted or preserved, eventually evolving to describe someone who is energetic or, conversely, acting with uncalled-for boldness.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*friskaz
“lively, fresh”
- Old English
fersc
“not salty; pure”
Metathesis of 'r' is evident in the shift from fersc to fresh.
- Middle English
fressh
“new, bright, not salted”
- Modern English
fresh
“new, vigorous, impertinent”
Connections
Word parts
fresh
root
lively, new
Related across languages
German
frisch
fresh
Dutch
vers
fresh
French
frais
fresh (borrowed from Frankish)
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Related to fresh
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.