fraynen
Middle English
Alternative forms
- frain, fraine, frainen, frayn, frayne, freinen, freyne
- fræine, fræinien, vraini (early)
- fraȝȝnenn (Ormulum)
Etymology
Inherited from Old English fræġnian, variant of freġnan, friġnan (“to inquire, ask”), from Proto-West Germanic *fregnan, from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną; reinforced by Old Norse fregna.
Cognates:
Cognate with Middle Dutch vrāghen (“to ask”), Middle High German vrāgen (“to ask”), Old Danish fregne (“to ask”), Lithuanian prašyti (“to ask”), Polish prosić (“to ask”).
Verb
fraynen (third-person singular simple present frayneth, present participle fraynende, fraynynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle frayned)
- To ask or inquire; to make an inquiry:
- To ask or make a request (for something).
- fifteenth century, unknown author, The prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer:
- I frained fast what was his name, Where that he came, from what country.
- fifteenth century, unknown author, The prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer:
- To ask or direct a question at someone:
- c. 1370–90, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:
- Þanne I frained hir faire · for hym þat hir made. or Then I frayned at Faith what all that fare meant and who should joust in Jerusalem.
- c. 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales:
- She fraineth and she prayeth pitously To every Jew that dwelt in thilke place To tell her if her child went ought forby.
- c. 1370–90, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:
- To ask or put forward (a question).
- To ask or make a request (for something).
- To look or search for something.
- To acquire knowledge through asking.
Conjugation
Conjugation of fraynen (weak in -ed)
| infinitive | (to) fraynen, frayne | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | frayne | frayned | |
| 2nd-person singular | fraynest | fraynedest | |
| 3rd-person singular | frayneth | frayned | |
| subjunctive singular | frayne | ||
| imperative singular | — | ||
| plural1 | fraynen, frayne | frayneden, fraynede | |
| imperative plural | frayneth, frayne | — | |
| participles | fraynynge, fraynende | frayned, yfrayned | |
1Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
Derived terms
- afraynen
Descendants
- English: frain
- Scots: frain, frane, frayn, frayne
References
- “frainen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.