frain

== English == === Alternative forms === frein (Northern England) frane (Scotland) fraine, frayn, frayne, freyne (all obsolete) === Etymology === From Middle English fraynen, freinen (“to ask”), from Old English freġnan, friġnan (“to ask, inquire, learn”), from Proto-West Germanic *fregnan, from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną (“to ask”), from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask, woo”). === Verb === frain (third-person singular simple present frains, present participle fraining, simple past and past participle frained) (transitive, dialectal or obsolete) To ask, inquire. 1555, Henry Parker, The Exposition and Declaration of the Psalme Deus ultionum dominus, XXVIII.: Theyr myndes disdayne: Gods actes to frain [...] c. 1574, William Strothers (clerk), Deposition of Thomas Hunter, in "The Will of Humphrey Hopper", in Depositions and Other Ecclesiastical Proceedings from the Courts of Durham: Extending from 1311 to the Reign of Elizabeth: And so answerd ever when so the said Umphra frayned the said Thomas; and otherwaies this examinate never hard the said Thomas speak anything of himself to any bodye, duringe the spaic of an hower or more, that this examinate was with the said Thomas. 1807, Samuel Henshall, translating "The Durham Book" (c. 900); The Gothic Gospel of Saint Matthew: But Jesus stood before the count; yea the count frayned him, quothing, thou is king of the Jews? but Jesus quoth to him, thou quoths. ==== Derived terms ==== fraining === Anagrams === Irfan, infra-, FINRA, infra == Middle English == === Verb === frain alternative form of fraynen == Old French == === Noun === frain oblique singular, m (oblique plural frainz, nominative singular frainz, nominative plural frain) alternative form of frein (“bit (equipment placed in a horse's mouth)”) == Scots == === Alternative forms === frane, frayn, frayne === Etymology === From Middle English fraynen, frainen, freinen, from Old English freġnan (“to ask”) and Old Norse fregna (“to ask”), from Proto-Germanic *frehnaną. === Verb === frain (third-person singular simple present frains, present participle frainin, simple past and past participle fraint) (transitive) to ask, ask about, ask for to enquire (intransitive) to make inquiry to request ==== Related terms ==== fraining == Welsh == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /vrai̯n/ === Noun === frain soft mutation of brain === Mutation ===