German

Verb

freien ‎(third-person singular simple present freit, past tense freite, past participle gefreit, auxiliary haben)

1. (archaic or poetic) to marry
2. (archaic or poetic) to ask for marriage; to propose
3. (archaic or poetic) to court; to woo

Usage notes

• Only the derivative Freier remains current, but in a more negative sense (“client of a prostitute”).

Derived terms

• Freier
• Freite

Etymology 2

Adjective

freien

1. inflected form of frei

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Middle High German frīen, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *frijōną. Cognate with German freien, Dutch vrijen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʀɑɪ̯ən/
• Rhymes: -ɑɪən

Verb

freien ‎(third-person singular present freit, past participle gefrien, auxiliary verb hunn)

1. (transitive or intransitive) to court (romantically)

Conjugation

Related terms

• Freier
• Freierei
• Freiesch