Fries

The town was named after a prominent cotton-mill owner, Francis Henry Fries. The surname is converged from both Friesland and French friche (“fallow land”), found in Swiss French.

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːz/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -iːz
• Homophones: frees, frieze

Fries

1. A surname.
2. A town in Virginia.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Fries”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 606.

• Fiser, fiers, fires, serif

• IPA^(key): /ˈfris/

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• Hyphenation: Fries
• Rhymes: -is

From Middle Dutch Friese, but also Vriese, Vrese, from Old Dutch *Frieso, probably via Old Saxon *Frēso. Borrowed and re-borrowed, at varying times in history, from Old Frisian Frēsa, Frīsa (modern West Frisian Fries). Probably ultimately from Proto-Germanic *frisaz (“curly, frizzy”), named for their curly hair. Also compare Latin Frisii.

Initial v- is expected from natural development from Old Dutch, in which voicing of initial f- to v- occurs naturally. The modern form with f- is probably influenced by the Frisian endonym. However, the original voiced consonant is retained in the common surname de Vries.

Fries m (plural Friezen, diminutive Friesje n, feminine Friese)

1. a Frisian, member of a Germanic people (both the modern people and the ancient Frisii); a speaker of one of the Frisian languages
2. a West Frisian specifically; a speaker of the West Frisian language
3. Short form for various names relating to Friesland or Frisians, such as the bovine race.

In the Netherlands, Fries most often refers implicitly to the Frisians with whom Dutch people are most familiar, the West Frisians. Note that the general meaning of Dutch West-Fries refers to the region in North Holland.

• Vries (obsolete)

• de Vries
• Friesland
• Vriezenveen

From Fries +‎ -s.

Fries (comparative Frieser, superlative meest Fries or Friest)

1. Frisian (any member of the Frisian people)
2. West Frisian specifically (of the Frisian part of the Netherlands)

• Friesch (obsolete)
• Vriesch (obsolete)

• Friese ruiter

Fries n

1. Frisian (any of the Frisian languages)
2. specifically, West Frisian

• Noordfries
• Oostfries
• Oosterlauwers Fries
• Westfries
• Westerlauwers Fries

Borrowed from French frise, from an Upper Italian fris f.

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• Rhymes: -iːs

Fries m (strong, genitive Frieses, plural Friese)

1. frieze (sculptured or richly ornamented band)

• “Fries” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Fries” in Duden online
• “Fries” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

From Old Frisian Frīsa, Frēsa, probably ultimately from Proto-Germanic *frisaz (“curly, frizzy”), named for their curly hair.

• IPA^(key): /friə̯s/

Fries c (plural Friezen)

1. Frisian person

• “Fries (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• * Markey, Thomas L. (1981): Frisians