▪ I. † frayne, n.1 Obs.
Also freyn.
[a. OF. fraisne, fresne (Fr. frêne):—L. fraxinus.]
An ash.
| c 1325 Lai le Freine 225 The Freyns of the asche is a freyn After the language of Breteyn. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1035 Vnder a tre of frayne. c 1490 Caxton Ovid's Met. x. iv, Lawrers..ffresnes, Cornyliers. |
▪ II. † frayne, n.2 Obs.
? A mark or streak on a horse. Hence † frayned a., ? streaked; brindled.
| 1539 Richmond Wills (Surtees) 16, I bequeth to my brother..a great franeid meire. 1550 Will of R. Maddox (Somerset Ho.), My frayned gray troting gelding. 1614 Markham Cheap Husb. 4 His colour would euer be milke white with red fraynes. |
▪ III. † frayne, n.3 Obs. rare—1.
[? f. OF. fraindre to break; cf. refrain.]
| 1555 Abp. Parker Ps. A ij, Observe the frayne: the ceasure marke To rest with note in close. |
▪ IV. frayne, freyne, v. Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1 freᵹnan, friᵹnan, fr{iacu}nan, 3 fræinen, -ien, Orm. fraȝȝnenn, (frayny, south. vraini), 3–5 frein(e(n, 4–5 frain(e, fran(e, -ayn(e, -eyn(e, (4 freygne, 5 frayen, fraynne), 9– frayn. Also pa. tense 4 frain.
[A Com. Teut. str. vb. inflected in ME. as wk.; OE. freᵹnan, friᵹnan, fr{iacu}nan (pa. tense fræᵹn, frán, pl. fruᵹnon, fr{uacu}non, also wk. (ᵹe)-fræᵹnade) = OS. fregnan (pa. tense fragn), ON. fregna (pa. tense frá), Goth. fraihnan (pa. tense frah); the Teut. root *freh-, freg- is found also in OE. fricᵹan to ask, fricca herald, freht (= *freoht, friht) oracle, and (with different vowel-grade) in OS. frâgôn (Du. vragen), OHG. frâgên, frâhen (MHG. vrâgen, mod.Ger. fragen); further (with metathesis), OHG. fergôn to ask, beg. The OAryan root is *prek-, prk-, found e.g. in L. precārī to pray; and with -sk- suffix in L. poscĕre (:—*porksk-), Ger. forschen to demand.]
1. trans. To make inquiry of (a person) about (something); = ask v. 2–6 (which see for constructions).
| Beowulf (Z.) 1319 (He) fræᵹn ᵹif him wære æfter neod⁓laðum niht ᵹetæse. a 800 Corpus Gloss. C 581 (Hessels) Consulo, friᵹno. c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. iii. (1890) 268 Hine fruᵹnon and ascodon his ᵹeferan, for hwon he þis dyde. c 1000 Ags. Ps. cxxxviii[i]. 20 Þone fælan ᵹeþanc frine me syþþan. c 1205 Lay. 30734 Brien hine gon fræine of his fare-coste. a 1300 Cursor M. 7193 Sua lang sco frain him, þat bald, þat suilk a gabing he hir tald. c 1325 Metr. Hom. (1862) 151 And this ermyt bigan to frain At Satenas, hou he hafd spedde. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. viii. 3 And frayned ful oft of folke þat I mette, If ani wiȝte wiste where dowel was at Inne. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camd.) xvii, Sir Amadace franut hur the marchandes name. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 678 And sithe he freyned also swithe, ‘How fares my lady brighte’? 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. xi, I..fast at thame did frane Quhat men thay wer? 1522 Skelton Why nat to Court 397 Of you I wolde frayne Why come ye nat to court. 1555 Abp. Parker Ps. xxviii. 65 Theyr myndes disdayne Gods actes to fraine. 1575–6 Durham Depos. (Surtees) 270 The said Umphra frayned the said Thomas. 1592 Warner Alb. Eng. vii. xxxvii. (1612) 181, I, musing, frain'd her meaning. 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray (E.D.S.) Frayn, to ask. Lanc. 1803 W. S. Rose Amadis 160 Frayn'd by the knight, they told, a beautious maid..Was borne a prisoner. |
b. intr. To make inquiries; to inquire at or of (a person); to ask after (a person), of = about (a thing).
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. xix. [xxi]. (1890) 316 Swa swa me seolfum frinendum..Wilferþ biscop sæᵹde. c 1200 Ormin 19628 Þa Farisewwess haffdenn sket Off Cristess dedess fraȝȝnedd. c 1275 O.E. Misc. 92/73 Þagh þu frayny after freond, ne fyndestu non. a 1300 Cursor M. 3849 Þai fran⁓nid o þar frendes fare. a 1420 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 3745 Thus of hir he gan to axe and freyne. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camd.) lvi, If he frayne oȝte aftur me..Say him my sute is quite. c 1430 Syr Tryam. 1099 The kyng at hym can frayne. c 1450 Holland Howlat 261 He franyt Of thar counsall in this caiss. c 1475 Rauf Coilᵹear 227 He began to frane farther mair. 1568 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxxiv. 45 Ȝe preiche, ȝe fleich, ȝe frane. |
2. a. trans. To ask for (a thing); to request (a person) to do something. b. intr. To ask, request. Const. for.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 129 Fortune fares þer as ho fray⁓nez. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. vi. 39 For þis as scho fraynyd fast, He consentyd at þe last. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 485 He can him frayn Al the sothe him to sayn. |
Hence † ˈfrayning vbl. n.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 27371 Þe preist bi-gin þan his franyng. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Adrian 30 Þe kynge..one þis wyis mad franyng. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 27 By a fraynyng forþan faileþ þer manye. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) II. 207 At last, be lang franing of his wife, he schew quhat schame the king had done to him. |