An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Frau

by Friedrich Kluge

Frau, f., ‘mistress, lady, wife, woman,’ from MidHG. vrouwe, OHG. frouwa, f., ‘mistress, gentlewoman, lady, wife, woman’; orig. perhaps only a HG. fem. form (‘wife of the master, mistress of the house’), of OHG. frô, ‘master,’ which became obsolete in Ger., just as in Romance dominus disappeared in many dialects while domina (in the forms donna, dame) was retained in the entire group; comp. Schwieger. See Frohndienst. Frouwa, in the form of frua, found its way into OLG., and thence as frú into Scand.; the word remained unknown to E. The fem. form was OTeut. (Goth. *fraujô, f.), and was used in Scand. — changed according to phonetic laws into Freyja — as the name of a goddess. In the MidHG. period frouwe was popularly connected by a graceful fancy with freuen, fröuwen; comp. Freidank’s saw, “Durch vröude vrouwen sind genant, Ir vröude ervröuwet elliu lant, Wie wol er vröude kante, Der sie êrste vrouwen nante” — “Woman is named from the joy she gives, Her favours fill the world with bliss, What a deep sense of joy had he, Who first named it woman.” See Jungfer and the following word.