frain

Meaning

Verb

• To ask, inquire.

Origin

• From Middle English frainen, freinen, from Old English freġnan, friġnan, from Proto-West Germanic *fregnan, from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną ("to ask"), from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ("to ask, woo").
• Cognate with Icelandic fregna ("to ask, inquire"), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌽 ("to ask"). Related also to Dutch vragen ("to ask"), German fragen ("to ask"), Norwegian frega ("to ask"), Latin precor ("ask, beseech"), Sanskrit पृच्छति ("to ask"), Lithuanian prašyti ("to request"), Polish prosić ("to request").