▪ I. † ˈfrover, n. Obs.
Forms: 1 frófer, -or, -ur, 2–3 frofer, 3 frofre, froure, frowere, frover(e, south. vroure.
[OE. frófor, str. fem. and masc. = OS. fróbra, frófra, OHG. fluobara.]
1. Comfort; a means of comforting.
| Beowulf 698 Him dryhten forgeaf..frofor ond fultum. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 136 He ᵹe-andbidode ðone frofer. c 1200 Ormin 8786 Forr þatt he ȝifeþþ her hiss þeoww Hiss frofre o seofenn wise. a 1225 Ancr. R. 92 Þeonne schullen ȝe iseon hu al þe world nis nout, & hu hire uroure is fals. a 1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 185 We..buggeþ worldles froure wiþ moni sori teone. |
b. applied to God, the Holy Ghost.
| a 1225 Juliana 11 Ȝef þu wult..leuen..i þe hali gast folkene froure. c 1250 Hymn to God 5 in Trin. Coll. Hom. App. 258 Vroure & hele folkes fader. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 54 Hali froure welt oc ðat miȝt. c 1275 Lay. 387 Fader he his on heuene and alle man his frouere. |
2. attrib., as Frover-Ghost [= OHG. fluobargeist]; also in syntactical form Frovre Ghost, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John xiv. 26 Se haliᵹa frofre gast. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 322 Se Halga Gast..is ᵹehaten on Greciscum ᵹereorde, Paraclitus, ðæt is, Frofor-gast. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 97 Þe frofre gast. c 1200 Ormin 10554 Þe Faderr, & te Frofre Gast Himm hafenn sett to demenn. |
▪ II. † ˈfrover, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 fréfran, -ian, fróf(e)rian, 2–3 fréfrian, -en, 2–3 freuren, -in, 2–4 frou(e)ren, -in, south. vrouren, vroæfrien, (3 froðeren). Also 1–2 ᵹefréfran, -ian, 2 ifréfran, 3 ifrófren.
[OE. fréfrian, frófrian, also ᵹefréfran, ᵹefréfrian, f. frófor, frover n. Cf. OS. fróbrean, OHG. fluobiren.]
trans. To comfort, console. Const. for, of.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. v. v. (1890) 396 Cwæð he þæt ᵹewune⁓lice word þæra frefrendra. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John xi. 19 Hiᵹ woldon hi frefrian for hyra broðor þingon. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 97 He ifrefrað þa droriȝan. c 1200 Ormin 150 Forr þatt he wollde himm frofrenn. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 119 Bidde we nu þe holigost..þat he..freure us of alle soreȝe. c 1205 Lay. 19545 Þat [ich] on þissen felde mote beon ifroured. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 465/104 Pouere Men þare-with to freueri. c 1315 Shoreham 7 Frevereth thorwe his body man. c 1320 Cast. Loue 889 Of þulke [grace] þat alle [con] frouere. |
Hence † ˈfrovering vbl. n.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 117 Ich wile ȝiu senden þe heuenliche frefringe wið-innen a lit daȝes. c 1300 Harrow. Hell 166 We hopeth wel thourh thy comyng Of oure sunnes haven froryng. |