An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Fracht

by Friedrich Kluge

Fracht, feminine, ‘freight, load, cargo,’ Modern High German only, from Low German fracht; compare Dutch vracht, English fraught, freight; it signified originally ‘reward, charge for conveyance,’ and afterwards ‘the load itself.’ Compare Old High German frêht (probably implying Gothic *frá-aihts), ‘earnings, reward,’ gifrêhtôn, ‘to merit’; the restricted meaning of the modern dialects is seen first in Middle Dutch and Middle English, and also passed into Romance — French fret. Compare eigen.