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frist

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frist¹

  • /fɹɪst/

Rhymes with -ɪst

Where it comes from

From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also first.

noun frists

  1. countable, obsolete, uncountable A certain space or period of time; respite.
  2. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension. His was a short frist (He had a short life).
  3. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable Credit; trust. Sald tham to fryst to a man of the Hag, […] Sold them to frist to a man of The Hague, […]

frist²

  • /fɹɪst/

Rhymes with -ɪst

Where it comes from

From Middle English *fristen, frysten, fresten, firsten, from Old English *fyrstan (“to defer, delay, put off”), from fyrst, fierst, first (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”). See Etymology 1. Cognate with Low German versten, German fristen (“to eke out”), Danish friste (“to sustain, support, experience, tempt”), Icelandic fresta (“to delay”).

verb frists · fristing · fristed

  1. UK, dialectal To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment.
  2. UK, ambitransitive, dialectal To defer; postpone. Now, in the strength of Jesus, dispatch your business; that debt is not forgiven, but fristed: death hath not bidden you farewel, but hath only left you for a short season.

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MLA

"frist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/frist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

frist. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/frist

Chicago

"frist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/frist.

BibTeX
@misc{frist_2026,
  title = {frist},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/frist},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}