frist
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɹɪst/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪst
Etymology 1
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
frist (countable and uncountable, plural frists)
- (obsolete) A certain space or period of time; respite.
- (UK dialectal) 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).
- 1578, Robert Lindsay, The Cronicles of Scotland:
- Yitt they caused the lordis that war vpoun on the panell, that schould have thoalled judgment, to find cautioun everie ane of thame, vnder the paine of certane soumes, to answer at ane certane apoynted to thame. Yitt all thir lordis war verrie blyth, think and that all evill was guid of frist, in speciall the lord David Lindsay was so blyth at his brothers sayingis, that he burst furth, saying to him: "Verrilie brother, yea have fyne pyatt wordis. I wold not have trowed, be St Amarie, that yea had sick wordis".
- (UK dialectal) Credit; trust.
- 1492–1503, Andrew Halyburton, Andrew Halyburton's ledger:
- Sald tham to fryst to a man of the Hag, […]
- Sold them to frist to a man of The Hague, […]
- Sald tham to fryst to a man of the Hag, […]
- a1568, Sir David Lindsay, Ane Discriptioun of Peder Coffeis:
- Ane dyvour coffe, that wirry hen, / Distroyis the honor of our natioun, / Takis gudis to frist fra fremmit men, / And brekis his obligatioun.
- One bankrupt rouge , that wirry hen, / destroys the honor of our nation / takes goods to frist from fremd men, / and breaks his obligation.
- Ane dyvour coffe, that wirry hen, / Distroyis the honor of our natioun, / Takis gudis to frist fra fremmit men, / And brekis his obligatioun.
- c. 1568, William Lauder, The Lamenatioun of The Pure:
- Credit and frist is quyte away, / No thing is lent bot for usure; […]
- 1492–1503, Andrew Halyburton, Andrew Halyburton's ledger:
Etymology 2
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
frist (third-person singular simple present frists, present participle fristing, simple past and past participle fristed)
- (UK dialectal) To grant respite; especially, to give a debtor credit or time for payment.
- (transitive, intransitive, UK dialectal) To defer; postpone.
- 1765, Samuel Rutherford, Joshua Redivivus, page 323:
- 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.
- 1884, Lucy Ellen Guernsey, Loveday's History: A Tale of Many Changes, page 105:
- Na, na, lassie. Dinna be too confident. “What's fristed is no forgotten."
- 1924, James S. Wilkie, The History of Fife, page 553:
- Alexander's early backsliding, when "he thrawed his mouth" at the minister — a sin beside which the modern lèse majesté seems venial, —had been fristed but not forgiven, and again he was summoned to appear before the session.
Derived terms
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfresd/, [ˈfʁɛsd̥]
Etymology 1
From Old Danish frest, Old Norse frest n, from Proto-Germanic *frestą, related to *fristiz in German Frist f. The modern Danish form is probably influenced by German.
Declension
Synonyms
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old Norse frest n, Proto-Germanic *frestą (“date; appointed time”), from *fres (“forward”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres- (“to press”), from *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”).
References
- “frist” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse frest, from Proto-Germanic *frestą.
Noun
frist c
- a period (extended from its original length) within which something must be done, (roughly) a deadline
- Egentligen skulle det varit klart 1 mars, men de har fått en frist till 1 april
- In reality, it should have been done by March 1, but the deadline has been been extended to April 1 ("they've been given an (extended) period until April 1 to do it")
- Det måste slutföras inom fristen
- It must completed within the frist
Usage notes
Likely not clearly separated from tidsfrist by many native speakers.
Declension
Declension of frist | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | frist | fristen | frister | fristerna |
Genitive | frists | fristens | fristers | fristernas |