v. (wk.)
Gaw pp. frayst and fraysted; Pe past frayste; WA pres. 3 sg. fraistis, fraystes, pp. fraist, fraysted
‘to ask (for), seek; make trial of, test, examine’ (Modern English )
PGmc Ancestor
*fraistō(j)an-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
freista ‘to try, test, tempt’
(ONP freista (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far freista, froysta, Icel freista, Nor freista, Dan friste, Sw fresta
OE Cognate
cp. frāsian 'to ask, question'
Phonological and morphological markers
ON /ei/ < PGmc */ai/
Summary category
A1ac
Overwhelmingly N and E in ME.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 279, 324, 391 etc.; Pe 169; Cl 1736; WA 2019, 3366.
On the sense of Gaw 409 and 503, see notes PS ed; Cl 1736 is variously read as 'seek' and 'test' (see Anderson 1736n as opposed to Vantuono 1736n). At WA 3366 MS A reads <festis> (retained by Skeat).