frithen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ffryþe, frethen, frythen, fyrthe, vreþie
• friðen, friþian, fruðien (Early Middle English)

Etymology

From Old English friþian, from Proto-West Germanic *friþōn, from Proto-Germanic *friþōną; equivalent to frith +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfriðən/, /ˈfreːðən/

Verb

frithen

1. To make peace.
2. To show mercy or compassion (towards somebody)
3. To enclose; to fence.
4. (rare) To abstain from using (something)

Conjugation

Conjugation of frithen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) frithen, frithe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	frithe	frithed
2nd-person singular	frithest	frithedest
3rd-person singular	fritheth	frithed
subjunctive singular	frithe
imperative singular		—
plural1	frithen, frithe	fritheden, frithede
imperative plural	fritheth, frithe	—
participles	frithynge, frithende	frithed, yfrithed

¹ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• Scots: freeth

References

• “frithen, -ien, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.