An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Friede

by Friedrich Kluge

Friede, masculine, ‘peace, tranquillity, quiet,’ from Middle High German vride, masculine, ‘peace, quiet, protection,’ Old High German fridu, masculine, ‘peace’; corresponding to Old Saxon frithu, masculine, Anglo-Saxon freoþo, friþu, feminine, Old Icelandic friþr, masculine, ‘peace’; the common Teutonic word for ‘peace.’ Found in Gothic only in Friþareiks, equivalent to Friedrich (literally ‘prince of peace’); akin to Gothic gafriþôn, ‘to reconcile.’ The Teutonic form friþu- contains the suffix Þu like Gothic dau-þu-s, ‘death’; þrítu-s, from an Aryan root pri, Teutonic fri, literally ‘to love, spare’; Friede, originally ‘state of love, forbearance’ (see frei). It is worth noticing that Teutonic first coined a word for ‘peace,’ for which no common term can be found in the Aryan languages, and the same may be said of ‘Krieg.’ See Hader.