friend

English

/fɹɛnd/, /frɪnd/

noun
Definitions
  • A person other than a family member, spouse or lover whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.
  • An associate who provides assistance.
  • A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted.
  • A person who backs or supports something.
  • (informal) An object or idea that can be used for good.
  • (colloquial) Used as a form of address when warning someone.
  • (object-oriented programming) A function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class.
  • (climbing) A spring-loaded camming device.
  • (euphemistic) A lover; a boyfriend or girlfriend.
  • (Scotland) A relative, a relation by blood or marriage.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English frend inherited from Old English frēond (friend, lover, relative, loving-, loving, friendly) inherited from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (friend, lover, loved one) derived from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (be fond of, love, like, happy, beloved, dear) suffix from English free root from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (be fond of, love, like, happy, beloved, dear).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*preyH-

Gloss

be fond of, love, like, happy, beloved, dear

Concept
Semantic Field

Kinship

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

好

Emoji
❤️ 🏩 👨‍❤️‍👨 👩‍❤️‍👨 👩‍❤️‍👩 👰‍♀️ 💋 💌 💑 💒 💓 💕 💖 💗 💘 💝 😍 😘 😚 😻 🤟 🤰 🤱 🫂

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms