An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/frech

by Friedrich Kluge

frech, adj., ‘bold, insolent, shameless,’ from MidHG. vrëch, adj., ‘courageous, bold, daring,’ OHG. frëh(hh), ‘covetous, greedy’; corresponding to Goth. *friks only in faíhufriks, ‘covetous, avaricious’ (with respect to faílu, ‘money,’ see Vieh), OIc. frekr, ‘greedy,’ AS. frec, ‘daring.’ ‘Greedy’ was probably the primary meaning of the adj. stem freka- common to Teut.; when specially applied to war it meant ‘eager for combat, daring’; AS. frëca acquired the meaning ‘warlike hero,’ earlier E. freak, ‘hero, man.’ For early Teut. words similarly restricted in meaning when applied to a warrior's life, see bereit, fertig, rüstig. There are derivatives of the OTeut. freka-, Goth. friks, in the Romance languages — OFr. frique, ModProv. fricaud, ‘cheerful, lively.’ Teut. freka-, from pre-Teut. prĕgo-, scarcely belongs to fragen.