frosh

English

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /fɹɔʃ/
(cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /fɹɑʃ/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɹɒʃ/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɔːʃ, -ɒʃ

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

frosh (plural froshes)

(now dialectal) A frog.
- 1565 (1593), Golding, Ovid's Met. xv. (1593) pg. 356:
  The mud hath in it certaine seed whereof greene froshes rise.

Translations

frog — see frog

Etymology 2

Blend of freshman +‎ sophomore.

Noun

frosh (plural froshes or frosh)

(colloquial) A first-year student, at certain universities, and a first-or-second-year student at other universities.
The frosh are really getting on my nerves!
(colloquial) Short for frosh week.

Synonyms

underclassman
newbie
fresher (UK)

Derived terms

prefrosh

Translations

first year student

Dutch: schacht (nl) m or f
French: bleu (fr) m

Verb

frosh (third-person singular simple present froshes, present participle froshing, simple past and past participle froshed)

(transitive, slang) To initiate academic freshmen, notably in a testing way.
This campus does not tolerate froshing in any form.
(transitive, slang) To damage through incompetence.
Trying to open my car door with a coat hanger, I froshed the mechanism.

Synonyms

(initiate): haze

Derived terms

froshing

Translations

to initiate academic freshmen

Dutch: dopen (nl)
French: bizuter (fr), baptiser (fr)

to damage through incompetence

Middle English

Noun

frosh

Alternative form of frossh