friend
Meanings
- A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.
- An associate who provides assistance; patron, mentor.
- A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted.
- A person who backs or supports something.
- An object or idea that can be used for good.
- Used as a form of address when warning someone.
- A function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class.
- A spring-loaded camming device.
- A lover; a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- A relative, a relation by blood or marriage.
- Used to refer collectively to a group of associated individuals, especially those comprising a cast, company, or crew
- To act as a friend to, to befriend; to be friendly to, to help.
- To add (a person) to a list of friends on a social networking site; to officially designate (someone) as a friend.
- A Quaker; a member of the Society of Friends. (See also Friends.)
- Brand name of a spring-loaded camming device, now used to refer to any such device, often uncapitalized, as friend.
- A surname transferred from the common noun.
- A place in the United States:
- An unincorporated community in Terry Township, Finney County, Kansas.
- A minor city in Saline County, Nebraska, named after Charles E. Friend.
- A ghost town in Wasco County, Oregon, named after George J. Friend.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *preyH- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *priHós Proto-Germanic *frijōną Proto-Germanic *frijōndz Proto-West Germanic *friund Old English frēond Middle English frend English friend From Middle English freend, frend, frende, freynde, friend, frind, frond, frund, vrend, vryend, from Old English frēond, frīond (“friend”, literally “loving [one], lover”), from Proto-West Germanic *friund, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (“friend, loved one”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to please; to love”), roughly equivalent to free + -nd. See also Friday. Cognates Cognate with Scots freend (“friend”), Yola friend, vriene (“friend”), North Frisian frinj, frün (“friend”), Saterland Frisian Fjund, Früünd (“friend”), West Frisian freon, freondinne (“friend”), Cimbrian bròint, vròint (“friend”), Dutch vriend (“friend”), German Freund (“friend”), German Low German Fründ (“friend, relative”), Limburgish vröndj (“friend”), Luxembourgish Frënd (“friend”), Vilamovian fraeind, frajnd (“friend”), Yiddish פֿרײַנד (fraynd, “friend”), Danish frænde (“kinsman”), Faroese, Icelandic frændi (“kinsman”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk frende (“relative”), Swedish frände (“kinsman, relative”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃 (frijōnds, “friend”); also Welsh rhydd (“free”), Latin proprius (“own, proper”), Belarusian пры́яцель (prýjacjelʹ, “friend”), Bulgarian прия́тел (prijátel, “male friend”), Czech přítel (“friend; supporter; lover”), Macedonian при́јател (príjatel, “friend, mate, pal”), Polish przyjaciel, przyjáciel (“friend; lover”), Russian прия́тель (prijátelʹ, “friend; buddy, mate, pal”), Serbo-Croatian при̏јатељ, prȉjatelj (“friend”), Slovak priateľ (“friend; supporter”), Slovene prijatelj (“friend; companion; chum”), Ukrainian при́ятель (prýjatelʹ, “friend; buddy, pal”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (friia, “good, pleasant”), Persian فری (fari, “beloved, dear; pleasing”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “beloved; own, wonted”). More at free.